The feeling of the heart makes the desire to transfer clear between the great interest of Celtic and Rangers

Celtic and Rangers are both believed to be keen on signing the Hearts youngster, as the transfer window for the player emerges.

There are three games left to beat Celtic and Rangers

It’s been a long time coming. 66 years, to be exact. Hearts are finally lifting the Scottish Premiership title.

Now, with three games to play and a three-point cushion over Celtic, Derek McInnes’ side are on the brink of something that could shake Scottish football to its foundations.

Monday’s 2-1 win over Rangers at Tynecastle – a second-half comeback marked by Lawrence Shankland’s 14th league goal of the season – all but ended Danny Röhl’s side’s title hopes and left hearts clear in the Conference.

The Jambos, unbeaten at home all season, will be in danger of becoming the first non-Old Firm champions since Aberdeen in 1984/85 if they avoid defeat at Motherwell on Saturday – a game that carries a lot of weight given Hearts have not won a league game at Fir Park since November 2023.

If Hearts can beat Motherwell and Rangers win at Celtic Park on Sunday, the Boys will be six points adrift with two games remaining – ending Hearts’ run of defeats against Falkirk and a final-day trip to Glasgow.

The pieces fall into place.

The fear is understandable, but belief in Gorgie has never been higher.

Off the pitch, however, Hearts face a familiar challenge – holding on to precious few assets compared to competition they can’t match financially.

Hearts gem Boyd Fraser has made a transfer wish clear amid interest from Celtic and Rangers

Boyd Fraser, the 16-year-old midfielder who is becoming “one of the brightest talents in Scottish football”, is attracting a lot of interest this summer.

According to Graeme Bailey of TEAMtalk, Celtic and Rangers are both looking for the youngster.

Those two Old Firm offspring would normally represent a major draw for the Hearts academy product.

However, it seems that Fraser has other plans.

Southampton are in advanced talks to sign the youngster, with the Championship club hoping to secure that interest in the Glaswegian and secure a deal that could represent a key part of the academy’s recruitment.

The structure of any deal would see Fraser join the scholarship program initially, with a professional contract already in place when he turns 17 next year.

The financial mechanics are important, because this would be a cross-border transfer involving a player below professional age, Hearts will receive a compensation of less than £100,000 – an amount that emphasizes how little power clubs have in keeping young talents who choose to go south of the border.

Southampton added motivation to do this.

They missed out on Queens Park youngster Harris Afzal to Crystal Palace at the start of the year, a defeat that soured their recruitment team ahead of what could have been a return to the Premier League by playing in the final.

Palace – who struck Afzal – are monitoring Fraser’s condition again, while Nottingham Forest are also understood to be in the picture.

Fraser himself, despite interest from Celtic and Rangers, is said to favor a move to England as things stand, giving Southampton a real advantage in what remains a competitive fixture.