Journalist shares likelihood of Rangers swoop for John Souttar in January
Guardian journalist Ewan Murray has poured cold water over a suggestion from a Rangers fan that the club are set to make a move for John Souttar in January.
Scottish centre-back Souttar, 25, is currently in a rich vein of form for his Hearts side, with two goals in his last three appearances, and his impressive form this season has helped the Jambos to third-place in the Scottish Premiership, just two points behind Celtic.
Souttar’s performances have led to renewed calls for him to be selected for the Scotland national team, for whom he has earned three caps since his debut in 2018.
The withdrawal of Norwich City defender Grant Hanley from the November squad led to Murray suggesting Souttar as his replacement, with a Rangers fan then tweeting “Steven Gerrard in January” in response.
Murray replied via his personal Twitter profile, writing: “Don’t think that will happen.”
More to prove?
Rangers have a wealth of centre-back options at the club, but there are reasons to suggest they may be targeting one or two more in the near future.
Connor Goldson is yet to sign an extension to his current contract that runs out next year while Leon Balogun will be 34-years-old by the time the 2022/23 campaign comes around.
Filip Helander, meanwhile, has been out injured since September 11, missing the last 13 games, and Jack Simpson has yet to earn the trust of Gerrard, playing just four times this season.
Nikola Katic has not played a competitive game for the Gers since the 2019/20 campaign and is currently out on loan at Croatian outfit Jadjuk Split.
As such, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the club strengthen in this area in the coming transfer windows, and the Scottish Mail on Sunday did report last month that the Gers have a long-standing interest in Souttar.
But perhaps Souttar is yet to fully convince he should be signed imminently after only just returning from a stint in the Championship with Hearts.
In other Rangers news, an ex-FIFA official has blasted this player after a major recent Ibrox controversy.