Stewart is on the radar of Rangers

RANGERS have made Sunderland striker Ross Stewart their top transfer priority this summer.

The Black Cats star striker bagged 26 goals in League One last season, helping Sunderland jump back to the Championship via the play-offs for the first time since 2018.

The 25-year-old recently made his international debut too, coming on as a substitute against Armenia in Scotland’s Nations League campaign.

Reports from Glasgow claim Stewart is a target for Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s Rangers this summer amid contract uncertainty surrounding their own forward Alfredo Morelos.

Morelos is entering the final year of his current deal at Ibrox and could be sold this summer.

Rangers do not want to lose Morelos on a free next summer and, with contract talks having stalled, they may be forced to sell the Colombian - opening the door for Stewart.

Like Morelos, Stewart is also entering the final year of his deal on Wearside, with Sunderland also keen not to lose their star man next summer on a free.

Having signed for the Black Cats in January 2021 from Ross County, Stewart’s stock has soared. The 2021/22 season was something of a breakthrough campaign for the 25-year-old.

With the lure of European football and the chance to play more regularly for Scotland on offer at Rangers, the Wearsiders could be fighting a losing battle to keep Stewart.