Hartley's been released by Celtic.

Paul Hartley has been released by Celtic. The midfielder is now pondering his future with Hearts, Aberdeen and a couple of Greek teams noting an interest.

Many would love to see Hartley return to Hearts, in particular how he demolished Hibs in the Scottish Cup Semi Final in 2006 when his hat trick helped the Jambo's on their way to a 4-0 win over their bitter rivals.

There are obstacles in the way.

1) Wages. Hartley will be on a higher wage at Celtic than what he was at Hearts. Can the proposed sale of Andy Driver to Burnley go towards say a two-year deal for Paul?

2) Paul, along with Steven Pressley and Craig Gordon, was part of the Riccarton Three. Will Mr Romanov trust a player who he felt betrayed the club by turning against him?

Only time will tell.