Celtic are in line for a £600,000 January windfall with Aaron Hickey a transfer target for Manchester City.
The teenager joined Hearts from the Celtic Academy in July 2018 with a 30% sell on clause included in the deal.
Hickey made first team debut at Aberdeen in May and didn’t look out of his depth when he played against Celtic in the final two matches of the season.
Hearts are keen to get him onto a new contract but the 17-year-old remains on the 3-year deal that he signed straight from school.
Unless he can be persuaded to sign a new contract, Hearts will be forced to sell Hickey next year with Pep Guadiola’s side showing definite interest.
The Star reports:
Manchester City are frontrunners in the race for Hearts defender Aaron Hickey’s signature. The 17-year-old, who only made his Jambos debut back in May, has become an important member of boss Craig Levein’s backline.
He popped up with the late winner in their 2-1 derby victory away at Hibs last month, with his deflected long-range effort flying over goalkeeper Chris Maxwell in the 84th minute. Now Hickey is attracting attention from a number of big clubs, yet Starsport understand City are leading the chase to sign him.
Hickey has made 12 appearances for Hearts this season, scoring his first goal with a late winner in the derby victory over Hibs at Easter Road.
