Levein set to bring Haring to Tynecastle

Hearts manager Craig Levein is closing in on the signing of Austrian centreback Peter Haring.

It would be Levein’s ninth signing of the summer transfer window as he looks to bolster his defensive options.

Reports in Austria claim that Haring is on the verge of completing a move to the Edinburgh club.

The Hearts players are set to return to training later in the week but there are concerns over the fitness of John Souttar, who has been struggling with a hip injury.

Haring has a release clause in his contract that is set to be triggered after his club SV Ried failed to seal promotion to the top flight of Austrian football.

The 25-year-old missed just four games for Ried last season – all through suspension. It was his first campaign at the club, having previously played for Austria Lustenau.

Levein has already been busy this summer after a disappointing sixth-placed finish in the Premiership, bringing in eight players to freshen up the squad he inherited from Ian Cathro. He has already signed Steven Maclean, Bobby Burns, Jake Mulraney, Olly Lee, Uche Ikpeazu, Ben Garuccio, Zdenek Zlama and Ryan Edwards, while Conor Sammon has returned to the club after a loan spell at Partick.