According to the Edinburgh Evening News, Laryea Kingston is yet to sign a permanent deal with the Scottish side, Hearts.

The midfield internationalist has agreed a six-month loan move to Edinburgh from his Russian club, Terek Grozny, pending work permit authorisation from the Home Office. However, coach Valdas Ivanauskas does not view him as a short-term option and wants him secured by the summer.

Kingston has already signed a three-and-a-half year contract with Hearts worth ?15,000 a week, which will kick in assuming majority shareholder Vladimir Romanov exercises his option to buy the player permanently from Terek at the end of the season.

The other player in a similar situation at the club is Georgian internationalist Gogita Gogua.

"Gogua and Kingston have signed until the summer on loan and then afterwards we are looking to agree long-term deals for them both," said Ivanauskas, who will resist the temptation to throw his new recruits into Saturday's critical SPL meeting with Rangers, even if their work permits are received in time.

"They will be available for the weekend but I think there is only a very small chance that they will play. I think their chance will come after." Kingston, currently on loan at Lokomotiv Moscow from Terek Grozny, is a defensive midfield player who can also fill in a right-back. The 26-year-old is a regular in the Ghanaian national team and is regarded as one of the most tenacious players in the Russian league.