Recent reports cast some doubt on whether the Kazakhstani would officially become a Hearts player.

Those fears were quickly dispelled and sporting director Graeme Jones has given further comfort to the club’s support. He said that everything is on course and Hearts had a lengthy chat with the 25-year-old last week. They are due to speak to him again in the coming days.

Chesnokov signed a pre-contract in June but his deal with Tobol in his homeland didn’t expire until last month. Despite Hearts’ efforts, the winger remained with Tobol who were chasing a league title at the time.

Work has already started on gaining a work permit, with the Governing Body Endorsement (GBE) coming through last week. That allows Hearts to apply for his work permit. 

“Chesnokov is the really important one for us,” said Jones. “I know there have been various bits and pieces coming from his homeland. We had a call with him on Friday and spoke with him at length. He is really excited about coming. We are just going through the process of making sure have everything in place for him.

“We had his GBE approval last week and we are making sure that everything is set up so that, when he gets here, he’s got a really good month. That leads into January and then we go from there.”

Chesnokov is currently on international duty with Kazakhstan. He started and was sent off in a draw with Belgium on Saturday and conclude their World Cup qualification campaign away to the Faroe Islands on Tuesday.

After that he will have a bit of time to himself before joining up with his new team-mates.

How long it will take to get a visa can vary, Landry Kabore was made to wait a lengthly period for his, but there is still little over six weeks until Chesnokov is eligible to play for Hearts.

As set out by Derek McInnes previously, Chesnokov is due to start training with his new team-mates from next month.

“He is still with Kazakhstan just now,” added Jones. “He will have a little break and then he will come over. It is a complicated process – as we experienced with Landry Kabore and Sabah Kerjota – to bring players in and go through the various bureaucratical and procedural things in order to get them playing. That’s ongoing. 

“The main aim is to ensure he is ready to go as of the start of January.”