Hearts manager Robbie Neilson says he expects there to be movement on fullback Aaron Hickey’s departure in the next few days.

The 18-year-old was said to be one of Celtic’s key targets this summer, and with the incident involving Boli Bolingoli, it is believed the Scottish club are still on a lookout for another left-back.

However, despite interest from Manchester City, Crystal Palace and Old Firm rivals Rangers, it is thought that Serie A side Bologna are the surprise favourites to secure Hickey’s signature. Neilson says one offer (believed to be worth £1.3m) has already been turned down but they expect another bid very soon:

“We’re still waiting to see what happens. We had an offer come in that we knocked back and we’re waiting to see where it goes. It’s been a long, drawn-out process but we’re hopefully getting to the end of it now. But until it’s done, he’s still a Hearts player. From a personal perspective, as a manager, I would like him to be here because he has great quality, but I think things will be moving in the next few days.”

“He’s got a lot of experience and has played in big games and looked very comfortable in big games as well, hence the reason there’s been a lot of interest in him. We’ll see where it goes in the next two or three days.”

Back in January, it was reported that Hearts had slapped a £1.5m asking price on Hickey and the Edinburgh club are said to be keen on getting as much as possible. This is believed to be because Celtic already possess a 30% sell-on clause on the player after being developed at the Hoops’ academy.