Hearts poised to sell Penrice to AEK Athens

James Penrice has been at Hearts' training camp in Spain

Heart of Midlothian left-back James Penrice is on the verge of being sold to AEK Athens following a transfer offer from the Greek Super League club.

The 26-year-old joined the Scottish Premiership club last year on a free transfer after his contract with Livingston came to an end.

Penrice impressed in what proved to be an otherwise disappointing season for Hearts as they finished in the bottom six in the Scottish Premiership.

If the Livingston-born defender and his representatives agree personal terms, the deal with the club who finished fourth in the Greek top flight could be concluded within the next 24 hours.

Hearts announced earlier on Thursday that Scotland striker Lawrence Shankland had agreed a new three-year contract to extend his stay at Tynecastle.

Penrice began his career with Partick Thistle and, after a loan spell to East Fife, joined Livingston on a permanent deal in the summer of 2021.

His performances for the West Lothian side alerted Hearts to his talents and he signed a three-year deal when moving to Tynecastle last summer.

Should Penrice's deal go through, he will become the second Scot this week to move to Greece after Scotland left-back Greg Taylor's move from Celtic to PAOK in Thessaloniki.