Hearts are weighing up a loan move for Stoke City defender Liam Lindsay in the January transfer window, a report from a print edition of the Scottish Daily Mail (26/12, p88) has claimed.

Lindsay only joined the Potters from Barnsley for a reported £2million, and has so far made 17 appearances in all competitions for Stoke, who currently find themselves bottom of the Championship standings.

It is thought that Hearts watched Lindsay in Stoke's 2-1 defeat to Middlesbrough last week, with new Potters boss Michael O'Neill planning an overhaul of his squad as he looks to get his side out of their current predicament.

That is something that could see Lindsay be allowed to leave the Bet365 Stadium on a temporary basis when the transfer market reopens next week, with Hearts said to be potential options for such a move.

A move to Tynecastle would see Lindsay reunited with his former Barnsley manager Daniel Stendel, who recently took over at Hearts following his sacking by the Tykes in October just a matter of months after winning promotion to the Championship at the first time of asking, with Lindsay having been a key part of that promotion-winning side.

Lindsay signed a three-year contract with Stoke in the summer, securing his future with the club until the summer of 2022.

The Verdict

This is an interesting one.

It would seem somewhat surprising for Stoke to allow Lindsay to leave so soon after his arrival, although the fact that this would only be a loan move would mean they are not giving up on him altogether.

Indeed, that reunion with one of his former managers in Stendel, for whom he performed so well at Barnsley, could help rejuvenate his performances somewhat, which could yet prove beneficial for Stoke in the long run.