Barrie McKay could be on the move from Hearts before the end of the January transfer window.
A previous favourite of Robbie Neilson and Steven Naismith, the winger finds himself away down the pecking order under Neil Critchley and hasn’t even been getting in matchday squads.
Critchley has previously admitted McKay and Hearts teammate Yutaro Oda, who is in a similar position, could be allowed to find new clubs and regular football this month.
It has since been reported the Jambos pair and Jorge Grant all have interest in them with the window winding down.
The manager also refused to rule out McKay working his way back into his plans in the same way that Grant has done, so it will be interesting to see what happens.
But pundit Ryan Stevenson has urged Hearts to say ‘thanks and see you later’ to McKay and Oda.
And with interest in the 30-year-old reportedly growing around the UK, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him find pastures new.
Fleetwood Town
McKay has two previous loan spells at Fleetwood, now in League Two. It was a reasonably fruitful time, scoring five goals in 35 appearances before he headed back north to sign for Hearts upon expiry of his Swansea contract.
Tampa Bay Rowdies
The man who signed him for the Jambos, Robbie Neilson, is now in charge at Tampa Bay Rowdies and is a big fan of the player. Competing in the USL Championship, Tampa Bay’s season kicks off shortly and the Florida lifestyle may be something that appeals.
Kilmarnock
Derek McInnes likes his teams to be solid in the middle and a threat on the wings and he loves a tricky winger in those areas – think back to Niall McGinn, Jonny Hayes and Gary Mackay-Steven in the Aberdeen days. With Danny Armstrong on his way out, could McKay be a replacement? It could even be a swap with Armstrong in talks with Hearts.
Wigan
It’s believed there is interest from down south and with no names yet mentioned, we can only speculate. Former Scotland international Shaun Maloney, a similar type of player to McKay in his day, is in charge and will know all about him from his time at Hibs.
Exeter City
Another Scot, Gary Caldwell, is in charge at Exeter and hasn’t been shy in recruiting from the Scottish leagues in the past with the likes of Jack McMillan, Jack Fitzwater and Jack Aitchison part of his squad.
Bradford City
Former Scotland international Graham Alexander is manager of Bradford and could potentially team McKay up with former Hearts teammate Jamie Walker.
Motherwell
This one would likely be a loan given the wages the winger is likely to be on at Tynecastle but in the 3-4-2-1 formation Stuart Kettlewell often uses, McKay could fit in as one of the two behind the striker.