Csaba Laszlo wants to add to his Hearts squad in January

Hearts manager Csaba Laszlo says he hopes to buy as well as sell during the January transfer window.

After signing midfielder Ian Black on a pre-contract agreement from Inverness, Laszlo said he wanted to further strengthen his squad.

"I think in the last five weeks, everybody has asked me, 'Are you selling?'," Laszlo said.

"But we've also bought. Black, for example. We are active on the other side. It's not all sell, sell, sell."

Hearts captain Christophe Berra has been linked with a move to Wolves and winger Andrew Driver has attracted interest from Burnley.

Black is due to move to Tynecastle when his contract expires in the summer, but Laszlo has not given up hope of agreeing a switch in January.

"That is a question for the board, not for me," Laszlo said.

I have a list of seven or eight young players which, maybe not now but in May, I would like to take Hearts manager Csaba Laszlo

"I would like two or three new players and also Black if possible.

"I can't influence this, but I wish it."

The Hearts manager said Black had impressed him in the six months since he took over at Tynecastle and that he would be a useful addition to the squad.

"He plays very powerful football and I like his approach, which is very fair and aggressive," he said.

"He's got a very good passing game and he has the creativity to pass up front and down the channels."

Laszlo would not be drawn on reports that he wants to bring 29-year-old Rangers striker Andrius Velicka back to Tynecastle.

But he said his main focus was on recruiting young players on pre-contract agreements.

Ian Black will join Hearts from Inverness in the summer

"I have a list of seven or eight young players, which, maybe not now but in May, I would like to take," he said.

"I would like to make a pre-contract. I'm not only thinking about January.

"We are not here only to play football. We must have a complete plan for the future and the plan is always a good mixture between experience and youth.

"If we can get two players with experience and five players who are young, I think this is best for this club."

Laszlo says his side can climb higher than fourth spot in the league this season and described the current campaign as "interesting".

"We have a problem at the moment in scoring goals, but I'm happy with the number of chances we're creating," he said.

"At the beginning of the season, a lot of people were saying we could be relegated, but on Saturday there will be about 20 scouts at our game to watch my team.

"Everybody would like to buy from us."

Hearts entertain Hibernian on Saturday in the Edinburgh derby at Tynecastle.

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