Goncalves eyeing extended stay

Celtic have been linked with an interest in the Portugal international, whose contract expires at the end of the season.The 25-year-old last month announced his intention to move on from Hearts but he insisted he had not ruled out extending his contract.However, Goncalves, who could sign a pre-contract deal in January, would be open to any offers that may come his way from Scotland or England."I have had four great years and I don't see any problem with staying," said Goncalves."If I have to stay in Scotland or go to England or somewhere else in the UK I would be very happy."It's very important because I know the country very well and I know the football. So it's not a new life."Goncalves has read about apparent interest from Celtic but said: "I'm not thinking about that. There has been some speculation in the newspaper but it's not my position to say I want to leave."I'm very happy that one of the Old Firm are looking at me but I'm not thinking about leaving at the moment."The centre-back's form since his return from a season-long loan at Nuremberg has seen him on the fringes of the Portugal squad.And he is keen to stay focused on helping Hearts push up the SPL when he returns from suspension against Hamilton on Sunday."I'm not thinking about leaving, my focus is to do my job and do the best for the team," he said."I have had four great years at Hearts, I really like the country and the club."It depends on a lot of stuff, I can't tell you what, but I'll be very happy to stay at Hearts."Goncalves admitted two pertinent issues were the future of manager Csaba Laszlo and his ability to bring players into the club in January.Laszlo has spoken of his frustration about the club's recruitment policy in recent months."Everyone knows all the work he has done," Goncalves said. "There have been a lot of players left but he always gives his best."It's very important for all the players to work under Csaba Laszlo, he is a great manager. He always gets the best from the players."I believe in him and this is very important. If he stays, it would also make me think about staying. I would love to stay."When I came back from Germany I could see the improvement with the manager and a bit more stability."Goncalves added that supplementing the squad could also tempt him to remain at Tynecastle."It would be a very big point for myself to stay here," he said.

Source: Team_Talk