BY ALAN TEMPLE – @CCP_Sport
JAMIE WALKER has rocked Hearts by confirming he wants to leave Tynecastle, director of football Craig Levein has revealed.
Walker, 23, was the club’s top scorer with 15 goals last term and has attracted interest from Rangers and a host of suitors south of the border.
He is contracted to the Gorgie outfit until the summer of 2018, however Levein yesterday confirmed that the promising playmaker wants to quit the club and the Jambos are ready to cash in on one of their prize assets.
Several clubs have already made enquiries about the player, however none have yet reached Hearts’ valuation of Walker.
Levein said: “We’ve had conversations with Jamie and he has told us that he feels this is the right time for him to move on.
“I’ve got a degree of understanding of it – he’s been at the club for a certain time and all these kids have gone through a tough period. They come out the other end of it as better and stronger players. They feel they’re ready to make a step. I get that.
“We’ve already had a couple of phone-calls. We don’t want to lose him but if the right offer comes in then we’ll need to consider it. None of the calls have been close to the right offer.”
In whether the time is right for Walker to move on, Levein added: “I’d like to keep him and that probably taints your judgment but I can understand his position.”
Walker emerged through the youth ranks at Hearts and has made more than 150 appearances for the club.
The potential exit of another gifted young Scot would be a further blow for the Jambos, who will lose fellow Riccarton products Callum Paterson and Sam Nicholson this summer.
