John Hughes admits Inverness are behind rivals when it comes to finances

Midfielder Vincent and winger Williams are top of Dark Blues boss Paul Hartley's wishlist and have the Caley Thistle pair have both been offered pre-contracts.

Hughes has not given up hope of tempting his men to stay for longer - but admits he cannot compete with the money on offer from Tayside.

Asked to confirm if Dundee had made contact with the duo, Hughes joked: "That's 100 per cent right and I'm going to drive them down there this moment because for the money Dundee are offering, I would be down there signing for it too.

"That's just part and parcel of the game. Who says we're not talking to players, that we don't have one or two pre-contracts signed up ourselves?

"One thing I will say is that I don't think we can match the finances that - if what I am hearing is true - Dundee are wanting to give the players."

But Hughes also warned the pair that if they do want to remain in the Highlands, they both need to prove their desire to him before he asks the Caley Thistle board to release the extra funds which might persuade them to sign on again.

"For Danny Williams to stay here, he has to show us it's not all money motivated," he said. "If it is the case that he wants to be here then it gives us a wee half nudge to try and keep him.

"In James Vincent's case, he has to get himself back playing. He's not had the best of seasons in terms of injuries. But right in this moment in time he has to get himself back playing before I can go clear it with the board that Vinny deserves another contract. He has to go and earn it.

"Hopefully they will be here next year but if not, football evolves and we keep just moving on."

Inverness travel to Tynecastle on Tuesday night but Hughes is worried about the frequency with which hosts Hearts are handed penalties by referees.

Don Robertson dished out two during the Jambos 1-0 Ladbrokes Premiership win over Kilmarnock at the weekend and Hughes urged Tuesday's official Alan Muir to stay steely-eyed in the face of pressure from the Gorgie crowd.

"Tynecastle is a fantastic arena to play your football in," he said. "But somebody told me that Hearts have had 15 penalties this year. I saw the two they got on Saturday but for me, I'm not too sure they were penalty kicks.

"So we need a strong referee because it is an intimidating arena.

"It's the same for me players though. They need to go and express themselves and not let themselves be intimated.

"If that is the case it should be a cracker."