According to the latest reports from the Scottish Sun, Derby County have joined the race to sign Hearts of Midlothian’s defender John Souttar. Rangers have been linked with the Hearts man in the past few weeks, and the Bears are known to be an admirer of the Scottish international.
It seems that Gerrard will now have to beat his ex England teammate Frank Lampard to secure the signature of Souttar. The Rams are currently on the sixth spot in the Championship and are vying to move to the Premier League by winning the playoffs.
Reports came out earlier that Souttar had emerged as a transfer target for Gerrard in the summer. It is no surprise that the club is going to go after a defender in the upcoming summer transfer window as the Gers are going to lose the likes of Joe Worrall and Gareth McAuley.
Why is Souttar in demand?
The Scottish international is one of the best defenders in the Premiership, and some would even give him the honour of being the best in the division. At just, 22, Souttar has matured beyond his age. He is a calming figure for his team in the heart of the defence.
The Scotsman can read the dangers well, and he can cope with the physicality of the league with elan. Defenders at this age often have that moment of rashness in them but Souttar looks like an experienced campaigner, and he is only going to improve further from here onwards.
Chances of Rangers signing him?
The defender signed a new contract in January this year, and that could mean that Gerrard might have to splash some top money to lure him to Ibrox in the summer. Craig Levein recently claimed that the defender might not be interested in moving to Rangers. The Hearts boss had said, ”I’m not sure if John would go there, to be honest.”
The signs don’t look good at the moment for Rangers if they want to secure the signing of the defender. With Derby County entering the frame, things could get much harder for Gerrard. The English club will have a massive edge if they secure a move to the Premier League, so Rangers will be hoping that the Rams either lose the playoffs or doesn’t make the top 6 by the end of the season.
It would be interesting to see how much Hearts would demand for their star defender. They should be in a strong position to negotiate the best price for him as Souttar signed a new contract not too long ago.
