Hearts have 10 players needing new deals to play through June

Seven Hearts first-team players are out of contract this summer, along with three loanees and a number of reserve players. If the Scottish season is to finish in June as planned, the Edinburgh club must negotiate extensions for those deemed essential.

The vast majority of contracts in Scotland end on May 31, as opposed to June 30 in England. So the situation at Tynecastle Park is mirrored at most grounds across Scotland. Giving out longer deals may be the last thing directors and chief executives want to do right now amid financial uncertainty brought by the coronavirus pandemic. Hearts are a prime example after asking all employees to accept reduced wages. However, it remains a pertinent issue if UEFA's wish is to be realised.

Ambitious June date

European football's governing body want domestic leagues to make maximum effort to complete all fixtures by June 30, coronavirus permitting. That is an extremely ambitious plan, something not lost on the Scottish Football Association or the Scottish Professional Football League. Both organisations agreed to suspend all football in his country for an indefinite period of time.

If that timescale cannot be achieved, the possibility of prolonging the campaign further into July cannot be ruled out at this stage. That scenario is one UEFA desperately want to avoid as it would wreak havoc with the early qualifying rounds of next season's Champions League and Europa League.

The out-of-contract players

As things stand, clubs are bound to prepare for campaigns finishing several weeks later than originally intended. For Hearts, there are a number of employees to motion round the table over the next two months. The situation is made even more difficult by that wage-cut request.

First-team players whose permanent contracts are due to expire on May 31 are: Oliver Bozanic, Lewis Moore, Euan Henderson, Steven MacLean and Jamie Brandon. Clevid Dikamona's deal was also finishing on the same day but he has agreed an early termination to return to France with his family - although he is willing to rejoin Hearts for next season.

Donis Avdijaj and Marcel Langer both become free agents on June 9. Reserves Alex Petkov, Rory Currie, Daniel Baur and Kelby Mason are also in the final weeks of their existing agreements.

The loan deal with Barnsley for Toby Sibbick runs until June 9. Manchester United's Joel Pereira completes his loan two days later, whilst Manchester City's Ryotaro Meshino officially stays in Scotland until June 20. Those agreements would all need renewing, assuming, of course, that the pandemic which has brought Europe grinding to a halt subsides sufficiently to permit the resumption of professional sport before July.

That seems unlikely at this point given predictions offered by the medical sector. However, Hearts and other Scottish clubs cannot afford to let contracts lapse and then find themselves caught cold if matches restart as spring moves into summer.

How have they all fared?

Dikamona proved himself a worthy squad member recently following John Souttar's season-ending Achilles injury. Consistent displays in central defence further endeared a cult hero to the Tynecastle support and many were sad at his departure. Midfielder Bozanic also received acclaim for his measured strike into the top corner of Hibs' net in the recent Edinburgh derby.

Avdijaj only arrived in Edinburgh in January after agreeing to terminate his contract at the Turkish club Trabzonspor. The Kosovo international winger signed a short-term deal until the end of the season but has made only three appearances to date. Midfielder Langer is in the same position. He left Schalke 04's reserve squad in Germany and agreed a short contract with Hearts. Like Avdijaj, his impact so far has been minimal.

Moore and Henderson have both risen to prominence since Daniel Stendel was appointed manager at Tynecastle in December. Their contributions in wide attacking areas mean they are now firmly established in the German's senior squad. Brandon has endured a frustrating campaign due to injury and the full-back has only featured once under Stendel so far.

MacLean is on loan at Raith Rovers until the end of the season and, under current FIFA rules, would not be able to play again for Hearts until the transfer window opens in June. By then, his contract at Tynecastle would have expired. It remains to be seen what happens with the striker and those reserves who are due to become free agents.

The three loanees, Pereira, Meshino and Sibbick, could potentially extend their agreements if their respective English clubs are willing. Again, that would need discussed and formalised through paperwork.

Any contract renewals beyond June are difficult to negotiate at the moment whilst Hearts wait to discover which league they will occupy next season. They sit in a precarious position at the foot of the Premiership but the situation is firmly in their own hands. They are four points adrift of second-bottom Hamilton Academical with eight league matches and 24 points still there to be won.

SFA doubts

When, or if, those matches get played is anyone's guess in truth. Even the SFA chief executive Ian Maxwell does not expect the football calendar to be running again come June. Speaking about Scotland's European Championship play-off tie against Israel, also rescheduled for June, he admitted doubts about the proposed plans and said he expects dates will need revised again.

"Whether it's July, August, September, those dates don't seem unrealistic at this moment in time," said Maxwell. "For us to be able to play an international window in late May or early June we'd be looking at football starting again in May, and as we're in the middle of March I don't see how that's possible.

"I think it's unrealistic, even if you do the simple maths in terms of wanting clubs to release their assets, their top players to the national team, having not played a game - it is not going to happen realistically," he added on BBC Scotland. "They'll need to have played a bit of football by that point."