Hearts have signed German midfielder Orestis Kiomourtzoglou from Dutch club Heracles Almelo BV on a three-year contract.
The 24-year-old joins the Jambos – subject to international clearance and visa approval – for an undisclosed fee.
Hearts boss Robbie Neilson expects the 6ft 2in former Germany Under-21 international to bring a “real presence” to his midfield.
“I’m delighted we’ve been able to secure a permanent deal with Orestis,” he told Hearts TV.
“He’s someone we’ve been watching for a while, so being able to get him here before the window closes is great news.
“He will bring a real presence to our midfield and his style of play will be well suited to the system we are putting in place here.
“We are building a team that can challenge on two fronts – domestically and in Europe – and having Orestis in it is a big plus.”
Sporting director Joe Savage is glad the patience paid off in the attempt to land Kiomourtzoglou.
“We have made no secret of our ambitions to complete our squad, but quality has always prevailed over quantity and we have that at Orestis,” he said.
“Our scouting department, led by Will Lancefield, is doing a fantastic job of finding potential targets and they identified Orestis some time ago as someone who could come and improve the squad.
“We had to be patient to get him in but we are all very happy to have him put on the brown shirt and once again I have to thank the board for their confidence and support in us to get this club through. at the top level.
Kiomourtzoglou has warmed up with his new Hearts team-mates ahead of Sunday’s Premiership game against St Johnstone but is not yet cleared for the matchday squad.
