SPFL runners-up Hearts are hopeful of signing MJ Kamara, as per a report by the Edinburgh News.
MJ has been on loan in Ireland with Glentoran and has had a strong season, which saw him nominated for Young Player of the Year. That has seen the interest of the Edinburgh side piqued, and they’ve reportedly offered him a deal.
They are now hopeful of ‘beating competition’ for the 20-year-old, who has also been offered a new, improved deal by the Imps. The report alludes to other clubs being interested, although it isn’t clear whether they are domestic or European.
There is a distinction, as sporting director Jez George outlined in our special podcast, recorded on Thursday. He broke down the specifics of a possible move away for MJ and how that would look from a Lincoln City point of view.
“I don’t mind saying, you know, an MJ situation, he’s run down his contract, the contract’s at the end,” said Jez.
“We’ve offered him a contract on better terms than previously, so that means we hold compensation rights if that’s within England.
“If MJ can’t agree a contract with us and a club wants to take him, they have to agree compensation with us. That’s a really difficult process, actually, because there’s no formula.
“So it’s just literally someone makes an offer, we have a value. Can we agree it between ourselves? If we can’t, go to tribunal, and when you go to a tribunal, it’s literally a process that no one knows how the outcome is decided.”
“It’s quite dangerous, especially for the buying club. So it discourages people to go to tribunal because we could ask a million pounds.
“They could offer a tenth of that, but they don’t actually know what the tribunal is going to offer. And you have to be bound by the rules of the tribunal. So once you go to that tribunal, whatever they set, you have to pay. So it’s really in everybody’s best interest, when it’s an internal transfer, that you find an agreement.”
That is not the case when a player moves across borders, and Jez directly addressed the speculation linking MJ with a move to Tynecastle, to join a side that missed out on a first title in more than 60 years on the final day of the season.
“When it’s cross-border, it’s in the press so I can say it about Hearts, that’s different. It’s a FIFA calculation, so we know exactly what that would be, Hearts know exactly what that would be.
“So the decision from them is, will they pay that? If they will and MJ wants to go, he’s free to go, but we get that compensation.”
MJ came through the youth ranks at Bromley before continuing his development with the XYZ Academy, eventually earning a long-term professional contract with the Imps in February 2023. Since then, the young defender has gained valuable senior experience through a series of loan spells, spending time with Barwell and later Peterborough Sports. During his time with Turbines, he also made his senior debut for City, appearing from the bench in an EFL Trophy clash against Grimsby Town.
Last season saw Kamara continue his development north of the border, joining Glentoran on loan in the NIFL Premiership. His stay was extended through to the end of the campaign after impressing during the first half of the season.
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