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Derek Mc Innes has been in charge of Kilmarnock for three-and-a-half seasons Hearts will make an official approach to Kilmarnock on Monday in a bid to secure Derek Mc Innes as their new manager. Since Neil Critchley's dismissal last month after six months as Tynecastle boss, Mc Innes has been the strong favourite to take over. His Kilmarnock team beat Dundee 3-2 on Saturday to secure Scottish Premiership safety with a third straight victory in what has been an otherwise difficult season. In the aftermath of the win Mc Innes would not be drawn on the reports linking him with a move to Tynecastle, saying there had been "no contact from club to club". However, Hearts have identified the 53-year-old as the man they want to take charge after sacking two head coaches this season in Critchley and Steven Naismith. 'Great' Shankland shines again as Hearts beat Motherwell Brighton owner Bloom bids for 29% stake in Hearts Mc Innes is an experienced manager in Scotland having started by taking St Johnstone to the top flight in 2009. After a brief stint at Bristol City he then had seven years at Aberdeen where they never finished lower than fourth and won the League Cup in 2014. Mc Innes departed Pittodrie in 2021 and took charge of Kilmarnock the following January, leading them to promotion back to the top flight and keeping them up on their return. His spell at Rugby Park peaked last season when he guided the Ayrshire side to fourth place and European football. Hearts themselves have had a turbulent season which started with their worst-ever beginning to a campaign and cost Naismith his job. Critchley steered the club away from the bottom of the table but failed to get them into the top six and was dismissed, while there are changes off the pitch. Brighton owner Tony Bloom is set to invest nearly £10m in the club, which has use of his Jamestown Analytics data company for recruitment. Visit our Hearts page for all the latest news, analysis and fan views Get Hearts news notifications in the BBC Sport app Kane scores in comfortable win for champions Bayern 'Sorry if we got your hopes up' - Saints avoid unwanted record Record-breaking Watkins helps Villa beat Bournemouth Watch the new series of Race Across the World now The ultimate crash course in interior design is back Detectives recount cases which shaped their careers The hilarious mind of a dry-witted, grief-riddled woman What is still to be decided as season reaches climax? League reconstruction - why, when & what might it look like? Scotland men's internationals to be shown live on BBC Commonwealth Games: Why is it so special to be part of Team Scotland? From titles to tinpottery - rank Scotland's top 10 clubs 'My body shut down - it was a life or death situation' 'The pretender replacing a legend - a new era dawns at Real Madrid' Match of the Day - your questions answered We're disappointed Alexander-Arnold is leaving Liverpool - Slot. Video We're disappointed Alexander-Arnold is leaving Liverpool - Slot 12 from Leinster, two from Wales - the Lions squad in numbers The Giro d'Italia's race for pink is anyone's guess Isak? Sesko? Gyokeres? Inside Arsenal's summer plans Five talking points from Lions squad announcement PSG beat Arsenal in Paris to reach Champions League final. Video PSG beat Arsenal in Paris to reach Champions League final 'Clock ticking on Arteta to prove he can be a winner' Where does Inter v Barca rank among best-ever semi-finals? In Pictures: Sporting photos of the week Stunning stats and 'Ronaldo behaviour' - is Yamal cut out to rival Messi? 'Two concussions in a month was scary and it's why I'm retiring' Is the risk that Mercedes took with Antonelli paying off? Ask Me Anything, the BBC Sport service designed to serve you Copyright © 2025 BBC. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.