Hearts update hands Norwich, West Brom, Middlesbrough and others transfer blow | OneFootball

Highlights

Hearts are currently leading the race for Wolves youngster Dexter Lembikisa.

According to Edinburgh News, the Scottish side have become the favourites to sign the 20-year-old following his return to the Premier League side.

Lembikisa spent the first half of the campaign out on loan with Rotherham United, but he returned to Wolves after being recalled by his parent club.

However, another departure is on the cards as the full-back seeks to continue gaining first team experience away from the Premier League side.

The right-back featured 25 times for the Millers in the Championship, starting 22 times, before returning to Molineux at the start of the month.

Championship interest in Lembikisa

There are several Championship sides showing an interest in signing the defender this winter.

However, it is understood that Hearts are set to win the race to his signature for the second half of the term.

The likes of Norwich City, West Brom, Ipswich Town, Middlesbrough and Blackburn Rovers were all linked with a potential move for the player in December.

But an 11th-hour bid will now need to be made in order to convince the defender to make the return to Championship football, with an agreement close between Hearts and Wolves.

It is believed that a loan move for the rest of the season will be agreed, with Wolves recalling Lembikisa in order to move him to the Scottish side.

Hearts are currently third in the Scottish Premiership and are aiming to earn European qualification for next season.

Lembikisa earned plaudits for his performances in the Championship, as he helped Rotherham compete near the bottom of the table.

The defender will be hoping he can continue to impress in the second half of the campaign in order to convince Wolves that he deserves a first team opportunity when he returns.

Rotherham United league position

Rotherham are currently bottom of the second division standings, seven points adrift of safety.

Leam Richardson was recently appointed as manager following Matt Taylor’s departure at the end of 2023.

Richardson has been tasked with turning things around at the Millers, but he has won just one of seven games in charge in all competitions.

Next up for the Yorkshire outfit is a clash at home to Stoke City on 13 January.

Lembikisa’s departure was a blow to Rotherham

Rotherham have the defensive cover to manage the loss of Lembikisa, but he was a solid performer in the team and his absence will be felt.

There were a lot of high-profile Championship sides eyeing a move for the defender, which highlights how well he was performing in an otherwise struggling team.

He will now go to Scotland, where he will need to cement himself as a regular starter in order to make this change of clubs worthwhile.

If he is unable to make it work with Hearts, then this entire ordeal will have proven a big blow to all parties, so he really needs to excel from the get go.