Derek McInnes hails ‘exciting’ new Hearts signing after landing player with ‘exceptional ability’.

The Portuguese striker becomes Tynecastle’s seventh summer arrival.

Hearts have reached an agreement to sign Portuguese attacker Claudio Braga from Norwegian club Aalesunds FK for an unknown price. The 25-year-old will join Tynecastle on a three-year contract, subject to Scottish FA approval. Braga scored 14 goals in 41 games for Aalesunds after joining from fellow Norwegian club Moss last year. After spending time in the junior systems at Boavista and Rio Ave, he started his career in Portuguese football’s lower leagues before heading to Norway in 2022. Hearts head coach Derek McInnes believes the team has signed a player of “exceptional ability” who was discovered with the help of Jamestown Analytics.

“Claudio was one of our top targets, so being able to bring him in is fantastic,” McInnes said on the club’s website. “In my chats with Claudio, I’ve been impressed by his attitude and ambition to progress as a player and as a team. “There is immense promise, but also exceptional ability. He is a technically gifted player with a proven track record of scoring goals, but he is also adaptable and can play throughout the front. “This is an exciting signing and I have to thank the club for giving us the backing to make this deal happen, and I’m very much looking forward to welcoming Claudio to Hearts when we return for pre-season.”

Braga becomes Hearts’ sixth signing of the summer, joining Elton Kabangu, Alexandros Kyziridis, Christian Borchgrevink, and Oisin McEntee at Tynecastle. Hearts will begin pre-season on June 20 before moving to a warm weather training camp to prepare for their first competitive encounter against Dunfermline Athletic in the Premier Sports Cup on July 12.

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