Hearts are targeting a new striker as part of their summer recruitment drive. New head coach Derek McInnes wants a physical and mobile goalscorer to complement forwards already contracted for next season. He is also in talks aimed at keeping captain Lawrence Shankland, who is out of contract. A loan deal for the Union Saint-Gilloise striker Elton Kabangu was converted into a permanent transfer on Wednesday when Hearts paid the Belgian club a fee in the region of £250,000 to keep him in Edinburgh. He signed a three-year contract. Teeanger James Wilson’s deal runs until summer 2027 and carries an option to extend. McInnes is eager to keep Shankland but also wants an alternative type of centre-forward to compete with him, Kabangu and Wilson. In addition, transfer talks have taken place with the Walsall midfielder Oisin McEntee and a deal to bring the 24-year-old to Tynecastle Park is close. Hearts also held talks with targets in other positions, and already have Norwegian right-back Christian Borchgrevink and Greek winger Alexandros Kyziridis signed for next season. Discussions over a quick transfer for the Kazakhstan international winger Islam Chesnokov are progressing. McInnes admitted that he would like four or five strikers as part of his first-team squad. He sees Scotland internationalist Wilson as a player who can develop further over the coming months after watching the youngster establish himself under previous Hearts managers Steven Naismith and Neil Critchley. “He's one of a few academy products that have come through at the club,” said McInnes. “Credit to Naisy and Neil who played him. Obviously being involved in the Scotland set-up elevates him. I remember playing a closed-door game against Naisy's team at Rugby Park a while back. The boy came on and I liked him right away. His movement is really top-class in and around the box. He works in tight spaces and he's proven that he's a good footballer. “He can see that and he knows his way to goal. So the more goal threats you have, the better. It’s getting that balance, having the right type of strikers. I want to work with four or five strikers at the top end of the pitch and everybody's got to be able to give something a wee bit different. I think James is one of the boys that's got a lot to offer.” New fixtures for season 2025/26 will be released on 20 June by the Scottish Professional Football League. McInnes is eagerly anticipating his first experience of the Edinburgh derby as a manager and will be looking out for Hearts’ meetings with rivals Hibs. “It's obviously an attraction for any Hearts manager, the atmosphere and the whole intensity,” he acknowledged. “I'm looking forward to all the games, but obviously the derbies are massive and I’ve attended loads over the years. You get it. You know how important it is. “I also know how important it is for a manager to win these games as well. I’m looking forward to getting started and playing any team, but obviously the Hibs games have got a bit more on it. I think that for the players, myself and the supporters, it's the games that we'll probably look for first when the fixtures come out.” READ MORE: McInnes - ‘How my Hearts team will set up and what I won’t accept’