Levein laughs off Gers link with teenage star Hickey

Hearts manager Craig Levein has joked that he will submit a bid for Rangers striker Alfredo Morelos after laughing off suggestions that the Ibrox club will make a move for teenage defender Aaron Hickey.

The arrival of Ross Wilson as the new sporting director at the Govan club has led to Hickey being linked with a £2 million switch to Rangers.

English champions Manchester City have also been keeping tabs on the 17-year-old, with Hickey, who notched the recent derby winner against Hibs, impressing since making his debut against Aberdeen in May.

However, Levein has paid little attention to reports of Rangers’ interest ahead of Sunday’s visit of Steven Gerrard’s side and admits talks aimed at tying the youngster down on fresh term are ongoing.

He said: “Who do we play at the weekend?

“We’re going to put an offer in for Morelos tomorrow. I’m taking that one with a lump of salt.”

On contract talks, Levein added: “I’m still working on it. I want to just try and get it done with his dad and then I’ll talk about it.”

Levein, meanwhile, admits he is hopeful of welcoming back Peter Haring and Uche Ikpeazu for the visit of Rangers, while Steven Naismith remains a doubt with a persistent hamstring strain.

Midfielder Haring has not featured since the Scottish Cup final defeat to Celtic due to a troublesome pelvic complaint that required rest.

Striker Ikpeazu missed the October 5 defeat to Kilmarnock with a hamstring niggle, while Naismith has been hampered by a similar issue that has restricted to the Scotland striker to only 78 minutes of action so far this term.

Levein added: “Peter trained on Monday and he’s alright so he’s on target to be fit for the weekend.

“Uche has trained and should be fine for the weekend. Steven’s still not 100% so we’ll just have to wait and see how he is.”

Aaron Hickey celebrates his goal against Hibs.