Hearts in talks with Brighton owner Tony Bloom over £10m investment plan

HEARTS are in talks with Brighton’s billionaire owner Tony Bloom over a £10m investment plan that could revolutionise player recruitment at the Tynecastle club.

Bloom is keen to introduce his sports analytics company Starlizard to Scottish football, with a deal currently being discussed by both parties.

While nothing has been finalised yet, Mail Sport understands that talks are going well and that both parties are keen to reach an agreement.

If the move goes ahead, Hearts will gain access to the same analytics and data that has shaped Brighton’s excellent recruitment results in recent years.

Hearts are keen to benefit from Bloom’s expertise in player analysis

Bloom is not initially expected to buy shares in Hearts. However, if the deal proves fruitful, he could seek to acquire a minority stake in the Gorgie club at some point in the next two years.

Such a proposal would need to be approved by the members of the Foundation of Hearts as and when the time comes. FoH are the current majority shareholders of Hearts on behalf of the supporters.

However, as it stands, the Starlizard deal does not require FoH approval as it is based solely on the provision of specialist analytics technology and data to Hearts. There would be no formal partnership with Brighton and the two clubs would remain separate.

Yet Hearts appear to have made greater use of analysis in recent years and are keen to learn from a club that has proven itself to be one of the best in its class.

Brighton’s recruitment model is the envy of clubs across Europe, with the Seagulls routinely selling their players for huge profits.

In the last three years alone they have sold over £400million worth of players and have built a reputation as one of the best-run clubs in Europe.

Brighton sold midfielder Moises Caicedo to Chelsea for £115m in August 2023

Players like Moises Caicedo (£115m to Chelsea), Alex Mac Allister (£35m to Liverpool), Yves Bissouma (£25m to Tottenham), Ben White (£50m to Arsenal), Marc Cucurella (£56m to Chelsea]and Leandro Trossard [£21m to Arsenal) have all been sold for big money.

Bloom’s company Starlizard have already laid some of the groundwork after carrying out an external review of Hearts’ structure and recruitment process earlier this summer.

As well as being majority shareholder and chairman at Brighton, Bloom is also a minority shareholder in the Belgian side Royal Union Saint-Gilloise.

With a personal fortune of close to £1.3billion, his involvement and investment with USG have helped them become title contenders.

For him to obtain a future stake in Hearts, any deal would need ratified through a vote conducted by Foundation of Hearts. It would require 90 per cent approval from more than 8,000 members to go through.