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 Blackburn Rovers are leading the race to sign the Hearts centre-back ahead of the opening of the winter market, as the Championship club have opened pre-contract discussions with the 25-year-old in a bid to seal his signing on a free transfer at the end of the season.
The report goes on to state that all of Celtic, Rangers, Stoke City and Nottingham Forest are also keen on a move for the Scotland international, however, the English sides look to have an advantage over the Old Firm due to their ability to offer the defender pre-contract terms.
Postecoglou will be furious
Considering just how impressive Souttar has been for Hearts so far this season, the news that Celtic could miss out on the centre-back to Blackburn Rovers is sure to have left Ange Postecoglou furious.
Indeed, over his 18 Premiership appearances this term, the £720k-rated man has helped his side keep five clean sheets, scored three goals and created three big chances for his teammates, as well as making an average of 1.5 interceptions, 0.8 tackles, 4.4 clearances, 44.9 passes and winning 71% of his duels per game.
These returns have seen the player who Craig Levein dubbed an “exceptional” talent average a rather remarkable SofaScore match rating of 7.43, ranking him as the fifth-best player in the entirety of the Scottish top flight.
As such, it is clear for all to see that the £3.1k-per-week Souttar would make a fantastic addition to Postecoglou’s current options in the heart of his defence, however, following the latest report regarding the centre-back’s future, it would appear that a deal for the 25-year-old will be incredibly difficult for Celtic to get over the line next month.
In other news: Ange can finally axe “stupid” £15k-p/w Celtic flop by sealing “extraordinary” £8m gem
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