Done Deal: Signing completes as new Hearts player arrives in Edinburgh to seal his transfer.

Gerald Taylor has arrived after a loan deal was agreed with Deportivo Saprissa.

Gerald Taylor, a Costa Rican international defender, has arrived in Edinburgh to complete his move to Hearts. Documents are still being worked on to complete an initial loan agreement and verify the player’s UK visa is in place before the transfer is formally disclosed.

Hearts have agreed to a season-long loan with Taylor’s club, Deportivo Saprissa, with the option to make the deal permanent next year for a six-figure amount. The 23-year-old arrived in the capital less than a week after Costa Rica was ousted from the Copa America, hoping to expedite his immigration procedure and begin his career at Tynecastle Park.

The Scottish Football Association have already approved the move with a Governing Body Endorsement, a Home Office requirement for the visa. Barring any unexpected issues arising, Taylor should be a Hearts player in the next few days.

The club saw him as a budding internationalist with potential, similar to his Costa Rican colleague Kenneth Vargas. The loan agreement gives all parties time to accustom to one other and offers for flexibility if a permanent agreement is not desired later on.

Taylor is set to clinch the right-back spot at Hearts following impressive performances in his hometown. He is a long-time part of Costa Rica’s squad, known for his dependable defense and savvy attacking. He sees Europe as the next step in his career and, following a successful first season with Vargas in Scotland, is eager to experience life at Hearts.

He will become the Tynecastle club’s seventh summer signing after goalkeeper Ryan Fulton, defenders Daniel Oyegoke and James Penrice, midfielders Yan Dhanda and Blair Spittal, plus striker Musa Drammeh.