Neilson confirms Hearts move for winger Josh Ginnelly

Hearts boss Robbie Neilson has confirmed that the club are in talks to sign Preston winger Josh Ginnelly.

Neilson said that he hoped to add the player to his squad shortly as he prepares for the beginning of the Championship season next month.

“He’s one that we’re interested in,” the manager told STV.

“We’ve been speaking to him and speaking to his club. We’re looking to add pace to the team and he’ll certainly bring that.

“We’ve brought Elliot Frear in and Jordan Roberts and if we can get Josh over the line then I’ll be quite happy with that.”

Neilson still plans to reduce his squad to work with a smaller group this season and will consider letting some younger players go out on the loan before the transfer deadline. And he still expects Aaron Hickey to make a big move this summer, though he said he wasn’t aware of Bologna following up their interest with a fresh offer.

Back on the training ground after an enforced break, Hearts are building fitness for their promotion bid and Neilson welcomed the sight of Peter Haring on the pitch,

He warned that the player might still be some way off first team action but said the defensive midfielder was on the right track.

“It’s been great having him back,” he said. “We just need to be careful with him and not push him hard because Peter’s been out for a long, long time.

“It’s been a difficult process for him and he’s had a number of operations but the quality is starting to come back and he’s starting to look fit.

“I don’t want to put a timescale on when he’ll be back but it’s just day to day for him right now.”