Five Scottish Premiership players in demand this January: Goldson, McGrath...
- Sean Fisher
- 3 January 2022
Rangers could see two defenders leave this month, with Everton linked with one, while a host of Championship clubs are sniffing around a Hearts star.
In Scotland, Celtic have already made a move by securing the signature of Japanese defender Reo Hatate to try and help them close the gap to Rangers at the top of the table.
But there are still plenty of other clubs yet to show their hand this window. With an abundance of talent available, Planet Sport runs you through five Scottish Premiership players who could make a move this month.
Nathan Patterson
Promising right-back Patterson has struggled to break into the first team at Rangers, with club captain James Tavernier ahead of him in the pecking order.
But, despite only making two appearances in the league this season, the potential is there, and it's caught the attention of Everton.
The Merseyside club actually wanted to sign Patterson in the summer, but the Scottish champions turned down two bids from Rafa Benitez. However, the Spaniard is still keen to bring him to Goodison Park, and it seems that they'll come calling again sooner rather than later.
The reported fee is expected to be around £10million, which could potentially rise to £16million with clauses.
John Souttar
Hearts and Scotland defender John Souttar has stood out this season as his side have climbed their way to third in the league table. However, the 25-year-old's contract runs out at the end of the season, making him available to sign a pre-contract agreement as early as this month.
With the form he's shown this season, he'll have plenty of offers on the table. It's reported that a number of English Championship clubs have already made their interest concrete, with Blackburn Rovers and Nottingham Forest the two favourites.
But elsewhere, Rangers and Celtic are also linked with a move, and if Souttar does prefer to stay in Scotland for the time being, then we could see a tug-of-war break out between the two powerhouses at the top.
Of course his signature will be free come the summer, it's just a case of which side can persuade the Scotsman best. It's too early to try and predict who will come out on top, but what does seem certain is that Souttar will look to move on from Hearts this month.
Ryan Hedges
Having signed from Barnsley in 2019, it seems Hedges has his heart set on a return to the English Championship. Rangers had also shown interest under Steven Gerrard, but it seems to have cooled since the arrival of Giovanni van Bronckhorst.
Jamie McGrath
Having only just kept him at the club, Saints boss Jim Goodwin immediately offered the Republic of Ireland international a club-record contract, but admitted than when a bigger club comes calling, they'll "blow us out of the water".
And, with McGrath now established as an international, it only seems a matter of time until a club makes an official approach.
Aberdeen are rumoured to be monitoring the situation, while McGrath has also been repeatedly linked to Celtic.
Connor Goldson
Rangers have openly admitted they are trying to keep Goldson at the club, making no attempts to hide the contract they recently offered him.
However, with Souttar lined up as a potential replacement and Calvin Bassey deputising admirably in the centre of defence, the club's board seem relaxed about the situation.
Having signed him for £3million from Brighton back in 2018, Rangers may want to recoup some of that cash and a Janaury departure wouldn't be a surprise.
