MONTREAL, Canada -- Top of the Scottish Premiership with Hearts and back with the Socceroos for the first time in over a year, Cameron Devlin has told ESPN he'd "love to stay" in Edinburgh but is happy to allow contract negotiations to bubble along in the background as he focuses on football.
Devlin, 27, has played a key role in Hearts' strong start to the new Scottish campaign, logging every minute of every league game for new coach Derek McInnes and helping the Jambos sit two points clear of Celtic atop the table heading into the October international break.
This surge in form coincides with the imminent conclusion of his contract at Tynecastle, with McInnes recently telling The Edinburgh News that he wanted to see the midfielder remain beyond the end of the season and revealing he had urged him to signal his intentions sooner rather than later.
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But with so much going right at both club and international levels, Devlin has told ESPN that he's happy to defer to others while he maintains his focus on the pitch.
"My agent and the club have been in contact, in terms of getting a new deal sorted," Devlin said. "They're still talking now.
"Everyone knows that since I've been there, I really enjoy it. I've got a home now, and I feel like I'm quite settled there. I love the city. Love the people. Everyone's been so welcoming and nice to me. I'd love to stay.
"But at the same time, I've been consistent, and I just have been wanting to focus on my football ... I don't really want to lose my focus and lose the team's focus and take away from any of that.
"My sole focus at the moment has been playing football for Hearts and trying to win as many games as possible. And obviously it's been working.
"Definitely not in a hurry to leave or anything; I really enjoy everything about Hearts. Everyone who knows me knows that ... but my focus at the moment is just playing football."
Last with the Socceroos during the September 2024 window when he served as an unused substitute for then-coach Graham Arnold in a loss to Bahrain and a draw with Indonesia, Devlin's form has seen him receive his first call-up under Tony Popovic for Australia's October fixtures against Canada and the United States.
With just two international windows remaining until the coach names his squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, it's a return that carries parallels with his 2022 debut -- where he was called up for the first time just months before being named in Arnold's final 26-man squad.
The terrier-like midfielder ultimately didn't end up seeing the field at Qatar 2022 but didn't come away empty-handed: snagging Lionel Messi's shirt following Australia's round-of-16 loss to Argentina. And it's clear he's locked in on getting another opportunity to play in 2026.
"I'm old enough now to know how it works," said Devlin. "In Australia, the talent, the young boys and all the older, more experienced boys, there are so many players to choose from -- it's not a given to be selected in the Socceroos.
"Since I was a young kid, I've always been someone who prided myself on being the hardest worker in the room. And then the rest will take care of itself.
"All the players in every position throughout the squad -- the boys that aren't in camp at the moment and the boys that are here -- everyone's got their own individual qualities. And everyone's here because they're being themselves at their club.
"I feel like Australia is a footballing country; it's really grown since I came into the setup. The talent has grown and grown. There are more boys playing overseas, and the A-League has so many good players.
"You've just got to put your head down, work as hard as you can and, hopefully, that's enough to impress."