Celtic have been dealt a blow in their bid to bring John Souttar to Parkhead in the January transfer window.
What’s the talk?
That’s according to a report by the Daily Record, who claim that, despite Celtic’s interest in the Heart of Midlothian centre-back, the 25-year-old’s preference is a move south of the border, with the likes of Stoke City, Blackburn Rovers, Millwall, Luton Town, Middlesbrough, Queens Park Rangers, Birmingham City, Blackpool and Preston North End all reported to be keen on the 25-year-old.
The report goes on to state that Hearts are continuing contract negotiations with the defender in an attempt to convince him to extend his stay at Tynecastle, with the Scotland international’s current deal set to expire at the end of the season.
Postecoglou will be furious
Considering just how impressive Souttar has been for Hearts this season, the news that the centre-back would rather secure a move to England than make a switch to Parkhead this winter is sure to have left Ange Postecoglou fuming.
Indeed, over his 12 Scottish Premiership appearances this term, the £720k-rated man has helped his side keep two clean sheets and scored three goals, as well as making an average of two interceptions – the most of any defender in the top flight – 0.7 tackles, 44.9 passes and winning a whopping 6.3 duels per game.
These returns have seen the £3.1k-per-week defender average a SofaScore match rating of 7.39, ranking him as the sixth-best performer in the top flight of Scottish football so far this season.
As such, it is clear to see that Souttar would make an excellent addition to Postecoglou’s options in the heart of defence, something which is exactly the reason why the news the 25-year-old would prefer a move to a Championship side ahead of playing European football and fighting for the league title with Celtic is sure to come as a major blow to the 56-year-old manager.
In other news: Postecoglou in grave danger of big Celtic blunder over “outstanding” £7.6k-p/w flop
