Gordon: "I might leave"

The Scotland number one has been the subject of intense speculation this summer, and Sunderland have had a bid turned down by Hearts because it didn't meet their £10 million valuation.

Fulham and Manchester United have also previously been linked with the 24-year-old, who has earned 21 caps for his country.

The SPL season kicks off on August 6th, with Hearts beginning their campaign against Edinburgh rivals Hibernian, but Gordon has accepted the fact that he may be gone by then.

He told Hearts World: "That's a possibility, that I might leave before the start of this season.

"But it's something I can't occupy too much of my time with because I have to get ready for the start of the season.

"It's out of my hands at the moment and we'll need to see what happens over the next few weeks."

Gordon, the Hearts club captain, admitted that he was tempted by Sunderland's initial £5 million bid.

He said: "That bid hasn't been accepted. If it had, I'd have to give it serious consideration.

"There's still a lot of time left in the transfer window.

"As yet there's not been a bid accepted from anybody so I've got nothing to think about other than getting ready for the start of the season with Hearts and playing to the best of my ability."