CATHRO TRIES POWERS OF PERSUASION ON LAFFERTY
KYLE LAFFERTY is weighing up a move to Hearts — after being wooed by head coach Ian Cathro in a face-to-face meeting yesterday. The Northern Ireland striker, also a target for Ipswich Town and a number of other English clubs, checked in at Tynecastle for talks with Cathro. The former Rangers forward made the personal visit in a bid to learn more about the plans being made to revive a team that staggered over last season’s finish line under the guidance of the new gaffer. Hearts owner Ann Budge, chief operating officer Scott Gardiner, Cathro and assistant Austin MacPhee all pitched to Lafferty in a bid to persuade him of the club’s potential. A deal was never going to be struck yesterday, with Lafferty — who spent a couple of hours at Tynecastle — now being given time to consider his future. Although Ipswich can offer more money to a player released by Norwich at the end of last season, his relationship with MacPhee — a member of the Northern Ireland backroom staff — could yet prove key. Since leaving Rangers in 2012, Lafferty has played in Switzerland, Italy, England and Turkey — and, with 20 goals, is Northern Ireland’s second highest scorer of all time. Aware that landing the 30-year-old would mean making him their highestpaid player by some distance, the top end of what Hearts can muster will still come nowhere near some of the other offers on the table. Budge admitted that Lafferty had been in talks, saying: ‘We have been talking to many people. Is Kyle’s name on a list? Absolutely, along with many, many others.’ Lafferty would fulfil Cathro’s public ambition of landing a striker as his first priority, despite new signing Cole Stockton joining Isma Goncalves on the books. With only Conor Sammon and Bjorn Johnsen, neither in favour, as back-up, Cathro said: ‘It’s an area we’re looking at. We’re looking at a couple of different parts of the team where we feel we need more strength and different options. ‘We’ve still got some balancing to do, which we are doing. It’s just going to be a case of being patient and acting professionally.’