Hearts have given their captain Christophe Berra the go ahead to complete his reported transfer to Fulham as long as the Premier League side offer an acceptable amount.

According to reports, Hodgson has made the Scottish centre-back his primary target for January after having him watched several times. The club’s scouts were impressed with his performance in the weekend’s Edinburgh derby and could be set to match Hearts’ valuation of £2.5m.

The Hearts manager Csaba Laszlo has said he will not stop Berra from moving south.

I’m always happy if a player can move to a higher stage. That shows good work from Christophe and from the team, and makes this club interesting for other young players.