Arnaud Djoum, seen here in action for Hearts, is a reported target for Panathinaikos

The Athens club's technical director Nikos Dabizas travelled to Glasgow last month to take in the Scottish Cup final between the Jambos and Celtic, primarily to run the rule over Hoops forward Mikey Johnston.

But Djoum, currently on Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) duty with Cameroon, is believed to have impressed as well.

Greek publication Ethnosport believes the 30-year-old would be "quite affordable" for the 20-time Greek Super League champions. Hearts have held talks with the former Roda JC, Akhisar Belediyespor and Lech Poznan midfielder, but his future is still to be resolved.

Sign up to our Hearts newsletter The i newsletter cut through the noise Sign up Thanks for signing up! Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting...

He was linked with Apollon Limassol last month although the Cypriot side cooled their interest.

Djoum was keen to sign a new deal at the tail end of 2018, and could yet put pen to paper on a new Tynecastle contract - but his future could depend on his AFCON performances for the Indomitable Lions.

Dabizas spent time during his playing career with Leicester and Newcastle, and has a number of links in the UK.