Hearts of Oak coach confirms interest in Messi, Ronaldo

Whereas Kotoko settled for an unknown Brazilian, the bitter-rivals Accra Hearts of Oak have set sights on signing one of the two most decorated players in the game's recent history.

Hearts of Oak, according to their coach, Kosta Papic have weighed the possibility of signing either of Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo.

Papic joked in an interview with Nhyira FM that Hearts enquired about the availability of Messi but the feedback was negative.

On Ronaldo, Papic says the information he got is that the Portuguese football icon is not interested in playing in Ghana.

“Whichever player I want that is not the issue. I want Messi, but unfortunately, he is not available and I tried Ronaldo and he told me he cannot come”, he said.

Papic was speaking on Hearts of Oak's plans in the transfer window. He confirmed that the club is hoping to sign a number of players to bolster the squad.

He said the team has listed a number of players and is working to sign them but that depends largely on the player's availability.

“It is not about what I want and it is not about what we need, it is all about available players. I cannot do anything if the player is not available,” he told Nhyira FM.

“Let’s not joke about it, try to understand what is going on. If the player is free and is fitting to the style, fitting the level of the club, in that case, we are going to sign him but if we don’t find that kind of player, we are going to continue with the available players,” he concluded.

Pressure is mounting on Papic following a poor patch of one defeat and two draws in the Premier League. The Phobians have lost to Great Olympics and drawn with Legon Cities and Medeama in their last three games.