Hearts are set to appoint Wouter Vrancken as their new head coach.
The 47-year-old, who was most recently in charge at Sint-Truiden, is expected to be confirmed as Derek McInnes’ successor in the coming days.
He won the Belgian Cup with Mechelen in 2019 and led Racing Genk to a second-placed finish in the Belgian Pro League two years ago.
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Hearts lost out on the Premiership title to Celtic on the final day of last season
He will now be tasked with building on Hearts’ agonising runner-up finish in the Scottish Premiership to Celtic last season, while also guiding them through Champions League qualifying.
They will face Sturm Graz in the second qualifying round. The first leg is in Austria on July 22, with the return in Gorgie seven days later.
Hearts then kick off their new Premiership campaign away to Aberdeen on August 1, live on Sky Sports.
Calvin Miller has joined Hearts from Falkirk
Striker Lawrence Shankland, who was the club’s top scorer last season, left to join Rangers before McInnes followed him to Glasgow.
The Jambos have already signed six new players, including Calvin Miller and Josh McPake, with Stuart Findlay making his loan move from Oxford United permanent.
Why Vrancken?
The 47-year-old has managed more than 300 games during his career
Hearts sporting director Graeme Jones and chairman Calum Paterson have spoken to a number of candidates during an extensive recruitment process.
The Belgian has significant managerial experience, taking charge of more than 300 matches across spells with Lommel, Mechelen, Genk, Gent and Sint-Truiden.
Former AZ Alkmaar boss Maarten Martens and ex-Feyenoord and Manchester United coach Rene Hake were also considered as McInnes’ replacement.
Former AZ Alkmaar boss Maarten Martens was also interviewed
Vrancken was identified following input from investor Tony Bloom’s Jamestown Analytics and has remained a standout option.
He won the Belgian Cup with Mechelen and was named manager of the year during his time at Genk.
He left Sint-Truiden on a high after leading them to third place, their best league finish for 60 years, and securing European qualification.
The Hearts squad return for pre-season training later this week, with the club hopeful of having the new head coach in place.
