Rangers’ Deadline Day move for John Souttar couldn’t convince Hearts to part with the centre-back as the Scotland international remains at Tynecastle until the summer.
Rangers have already tied the 25-year-old centre-back down on a pre-contract but were eager to bring the player to Glasgow before the end of the transfer window.
But stubborn Hearts refused to budge on their asking price for the defender and Rangers clearly wouldn’t be held to ransom over a player who’ll be joining them for nothing in the summer.
Rangers reportedly upped their bid to £400k for John Souttar – a fair price given the circumstances and the Gers’ third bid – but Hearts are said to have wanted closer to £600k.
This was a price alluded to by Craig Levein [BBC Sportsound] and there remains some conjecture surrounding Tynecastle demands for a sell-on clause.
Stubborn Hearts refuse to budge on John Souttar
This means that not only did Hearts reportedly want more than half a million pounds for John Souttar, but they also wanted a cut should the defender be sold on from Ibrox.
Whilst signing Souttar would’ve helped to bolster a Rangers defence that has been patched up all season long, there is not much else the club could’ve done.
It is not financially prudent for Rangers to overpay for a player they’re getting for nothing in a matter of months, nor is it sensible to provide Hearts with a sell-on clause.
But Rangers are also sending out a message that they won’t be held to ransom and whilst Hearts are well within their rights to stand firm, they can’t have their cake and eat it.
Something tells us they’re going to be mighty annoyed come the summer when John Souttar moves to Rangers for nothing but they can have no-one to blame but themselves.
Meanwhile, a leading Rangers insider has shot down claims the Gers had a bid “rejected” for another player on Deadline Day.