Levein makes move to lure O'Brien south

BURTON O'BRIEN will announce a decision on his future within the next week, with Leicester City now favourites to land the out-of-contract Livingston captain.

By repelling the offer of a trial period under George Burley, the new Hearts manager, O'Brien has ignited his bridges with his Tynecastle suitors as Craig Levein waits with open arms in the Midlands.

The creative midfielder has been offered around 3000-a-week to stay as skipper at Almondvale under their new manager, Paul Lambert, but that advance is expected to be spurned in favour of greater remuneration and a grander stage at The Walkers Stadium.

Levein has ushered in a heavy influx from the SPL since moving to Leicester last October, with the latest recruits being the out of contract Celtic players Rab Douglas and Momo Sylla.

He now wants O'Brien to supplement the quota. O'Brien's agent John Seasman said: "Burton wants to play at the highest level possible. There are clubs in Scotland interested, there are clubs down south interested. He will be making a decision in the next week.

"He has not signed anything as yet. It's the next stage of his career, so as a Bosman it's a big decision for him. He has his family life, which he will take into consideration, so he will go where he feels his football is going to develop."

O'Brien endured a counter- productive spell with Blackburn Rovers earlier in his career, but as a more rounded professional he now believes the time could be right to test the water in England once more. Levein has tracked the 24-year-old since his time in Gorgie and believes that capturing the South African-born O'Brien would represent a significant coup from a busy summer of transfer activity.

"We are getting close on a couple of things and if we manage to get the guys that we are looking at then I will be very pleased," said Levein. "We have managed to get a few players into the club so far and we are looking at possibly another three joining us also."