Sunderland are ready to offer striker Ross Stewart more money in a bid to fend off interest from Rangers and a litany of other English clubs. The Stadium of Light side’s top scorer has already pocketed an automatic rise after proving pivotal in their promotion back to the English Championship.
Now Sunderland want to table a further improvement and an extended deal to last season’s 26-goal forward. The club plan to kick talks off when the former Ross County player comes back from his summer break in the coming days.
Stewart is on Rangers ’ radar and is among a number of striking options at which Ibrox sporting director Ross Wilson is looking. PAOK frontman Antonio Colak is another in the Glasgow giants’ sights with the Greek side looking for a deal of around £2.5 million for their Croatian star.
Rangers are looking to replace Cedric Itten who has quit for BSC Young Boys. The Govan side know they could be looking for other frontline options if interest in Alfredo Morelos, who is now in the final year of his contract, comes to fruition.
The Colombian has recently been linked with interest from Seville, with some of his new representatives mainly based in Spain. The potential sale of Morelos would give them more financial muscle.
Stewart, who recently made his long-awaited international debut, has already been flagged up by the Rangers’ scouting department and has now been taken on by Wilson and manager Giovanni van Bronckhorst. The Scotland cap was instrumental in helping Sunderland win promotion and also scored one of the goals at Wembley that saw them beat Wycombe in the play-off final.
Stewart is also on the radar of a number of English clubs, including Brighton, Brentford, Norwich City and Swansea City. Boss Alex Neil sees the Scotland new boy as a massive part of his plans and wants to see him signed up to the Stadium of Light for the long-term.
Sunderland are also aware of growing interest in the 25-year-old as he goes into the final year of his contract. Rangers are also aware that there could be interest in a number of their own top stars, like Calvin Bassey, Ryan Kent and Joe Aribo, after their recent run to the Europa League final.
Aston Villa are keen on Bassey while Aribo has caught the eye of both Crystal Palace and Nottingham Forest. Rangers have been linked with Derby County midfielder Tom Lawrence but the club have played down those reports.
