Scottish Daily Mail

WANTED MAN

NINE English clubs in the hunt to sign Scotland goal hero Souttar

- EXCLUSIVE By STEPHEN McGOWAN

SCOTLAND goal hero John Souttar is at the heart of a transfer tug-of-war between nine English Championsh­ip clubs.

And the Hearts defender has also been placed under scrutiny by Rangers and two clubs in MLS.

Out of contract next summer, 25-year-old Souttar (right) marked his first cap in three years with his first goal for Scotland in a 2-0 win over Denmark. Victory clinched a slot as seeds in the

World Cup play-off draw a week on Friday, with a one-off home game in the semi-final at Hampden in March.

Manager Steve Clarke singled out the former Dundee United defender after he recovered from

three ruptured Achilles tendon injuries to produce a composed performanc­e against the Euro 2020 semi-finalists. Heading into the last six months of his contract, the Aberdonian is now attracting growing attention. Stoke City, Blackburn Rovers and Middlesbro­ugh head the posse of English Championsh­ip clubs keen to tie up a deal in January. With Connor Goldson yet to commit to a new Ibrox contract and Leon Balogun’s deal up this summer, Rangers have also placed him on a list of available central defenders for the new manager to consider when an appointmen­t at Ibrox is made. A first-team player in Scotland since breaking through at Dundee United as a teenager, Souttar is likely to settle upon a move south. Hearts, however, would like to tie one of their key men down to a new contract after a strong start to the season. And with prize money contingent on how high they finish in the Premiershi­p, the Tynecastle club would be reluctant to let an important member of manager Robbie Neilson’s team leave in January for less than £500,000. Admitting Souttar’s story left him close to tears on Monday night at Hampden Park, Scotland boss Clarke said: ‘John Souttar was the story of the night. I’m so happy for him. ‘I gave him a big hug when he came off and I could have cried. ‘Two years fighting back from the kind of injuries John had? To come back in the squad, he was made up, to get the chance to play and to play like that… I’m not talking about the goal, the goal was the icing on the cake, because to play like that I’m so pleased for him.’

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