Lincoln City player enters transfer talks to join Hearts | OneFootball

The side atop the Scottish Premiership is looking to add MJ Kamson-Kamara from Lincoln City this summer

Lincoln City are gearing up for a return to the second-tier for the first time since the 1960/61 campaign, following a more-than-impressive League One season.

The Imps tied Wolves for the second-highest points tally in League One history, and the fourth-highest in EFL history, with 103. They ended the season on a 29-game unbeaten run and finished a whopping 26 points ahead of Stockport County in third place.

It won't be long until the celebrations have to stop, though, and Michael Skubala will have to figure out his approach to the 2026/27 season in the Championship and consider how he can improve his squad heading into it.

Plenty of additions will be made, but certain players who weren't in his plans for the recent third-tier campaign may be left expendable.

Hearts in talks with Lincoln City centre-back MJ Kamson-Kamara

Lincoln boasted a top-five average age in League One this season, and the majority of that came from an experienced backline. 33-year-old Adam Reach, 34-year-old Sonny Bradley and 34-year-old Tendayi Darikwa were all a big part of the third tier's best defence.

With that experience through the door, it makes sense as to why 20-year-old MJ Kamson-Kamara was allowed to leave the club on loan this season, spending the year at Northern Irish Premier League side Glentoran.

With his contract up in the summer, Lincoln may have other options on their mind, and that could prove opportunistic for a club keen on bringing in a centre-back with plenty of potential.

According to the Edinburgh News, Scottish Premiership leaders Hearts are one side looking to capitalise, having opened discussions with the centre-back over a move.

Kamson-Kamara signed professional terms at Sincil Bank back in February 2023 after progressing through the youth setup at Bromley. However, he has made just one senior appearance for the Imps — a 19-minute bench cameo in the EFL Trophy against Grimsby Town in October 2024.

With loan moves to the National League North and now to the Northern Irish Premier League under his belt, the 20-year-old is reportedly interested in playing regularly at a more competitive level, something he is likely not to get at Lincoln next season.

The report states that a move to Derek McInnes' side to play at a higher level domestically and perhaps continentally, too, if the rest of the current season goes to plan, is something that interests Kamson-Kamara.

But Hearts will, understandably, be facing competition for his signature in the summer.

Lincoln City may rue letting MJ Kamson-Kamara leave for free, but right now, it's an understandable decision

Having turned 20 just last February, there's clearly a lot of potential for Kamson-Kamara to improve and grow into a decent operator in the backline.

The defender earned a nomination for Young Player of the Year from the Northern Ireland Football Writers' Association this season for his contributions to Glentoran's third-placed finish, which seals a place in European qualifying next term.

He'll be ready to hit the ground running wherever he lands next. Unfortunately, though, with how difficult next season is projected to be at Lincoln, the likelihood of a relatively inexperienced player breaking into a defence littered with veteran heads seems unlikely.

Therefore, a move away makes sense. Ideally, the Imps would have loaned him out again this coming summer, but with his contract up, you can't blame the 20-year-old for moving permanently to a club he feels he has a better chance of breaking into.

In five or so years, Lincoln may look back at Kamson-Kamara's switch, whether it be to Hearts or elsewhere, with a bit of jealousy if he does develop as hoped, but for now, it's just a case of the two parties' trajectories going in completely different directions.