Peter Haring set to sign not contract with Hearts – and urges Steven Naismith & Arnaud Djoum to follow suit

PETER HARING has revealed that he is on the cusp of penning a new deal with Hearts – and has urged key duo Arnaud Djoum and Steven Naismith to follow his lead.

The Austrian ace has been locked in contract talks with the capital club for several weeks and insists he is ‘confident’ that the formalities will be completed imminently.

Haring, originally signed as a centre-back, has been a revelation in the heart of midfield since arriving from SV Ried last summer and boss Craig Levein is desperate for him to join the swathe of Hearts stars to commit their future to the Tynecastle outfit.

Christophe Berra, John Souttar, Michael Smith and Uche Ikpeazu have all inked fresh deals this season as Levein seeks to retain the spine of his side.

And Haring said: “I spoke to the gaffer a couple of weeks ago and they have been talking with my agent as well. We have had some days off so I haven’t spoken to him about it for a while but we will do that again soon.

“The talks were good and we are close. We will see what happens in the next few days but I am pretty confident that we can come to an arrangement.

“When I came here last summer I was just happy for every minute I had on the pitch and I really enjoyed it from the first game. The gaffer and the coaching staff have given me the chance to show what I can do.

“I am happy that they have given me the opportunity and that I could give them something back.”

Haring is far from the only priority for Levein as the Hearts gaffer begins to plan for next season in earnest.

He has made no secret of his desire to snap up Naismith when his contract at Norwich City expires this summer. Levein confirmed this week that he is ‘inching closer’ to that goal as discussions with the Scotland forward continue.

Djoum’s deal with Hearts expires at the end of the current campaign and, despite the Cameroon internationalist being linked with a move to Toulouse, the Jambos have not given up hope of keeping the 26-year-old.

Haring is keen to see the pair stay in Edinburgh and reckons continuity could be the key to success in Gorgie.

He continued: “We all know how important these two players are for us. There is a reason why they play every game, always start and always perform – it is because they are good players.

“It would be important for us as a team to keep them. They have options but, if they want to stay here, then they know what they have at Hearts.

“The club is trying to keep the important players at the club for a long time and when you stay together as a group then that can improve your performances.

“When you know each other well then you can play even better and reach your goals. That is what we are trying to do here.”

Along with Naismith and Ikpeazu, Haring was one of Hearts’ standout performers during their blistering start to the campaign, but a persistent hernia complaint gradually wore him down and ultimately required surgery in January.

He acknowledges that the international break came at the perfect time for him as he seeks to rediscover his early season form.

Haring continued: “I came back from injury and played lots of games so, for me, the break came at the right moment. I had some nice days off to recover well.

Mouth-watering

“I was just happy to be playing again so quickly [after surgery]. The gaffer gave me a chance straight away, which was great, but when you have that many games in a short time it’s hard to play at the top level.

“I know that there were some better performances and some worse performances.”

And Haring is hungry to right some wrongs against Aberdeen after Hearts succumbed to a meek 1-0 defeat against Hamilton prior to the international hiatus.

The encounter at Tynecastle kicks off a mouth-watering run of games, with Rangers then Hibs up next before the Scottish Cup semi-final against Inverness on April 13.

He added: “I think we have performed quite well in the bigger games, especially earlier in the season. So, I am really looking forward to facing Aberdeen. It is the first of the big games and it is really important to us.”