John Souttar's Rangers Future Could Change Soon
Derek McInnes says John Souttar’s Rangers future could move quickly in the coming days, with interest from two clubs now edging towards a decision.
The Scotland defender is still at Ibrox despite the Scottish window closing, but the door remains open for him to leave if the right offer lands on the table. McInnes made clear one of the two suitors has pushed ahead.
Souttar trained with the squad on Thursday morning, yet the sense around the club is that he is edging towards the exit rather than a way back into McInnes’ plans.
Interest grows as Greek window stays open
Souttar has been heavily linked with a move to Greece, with Aris Thessaloniki understood to be keen. The Greek transfer window runs until September 15, and reports there claimed earlier on Thursday that a €1.2 million bid had been accepted.
That narrative jumped another step when suggestions emerged that a medical had been booked for Sunday.
McInnes, though, moved to cool any talk that a transfer is on the brink of completion.
Asked about the latest around Souttar’s situation, the Rangers manager offered a measured but revealing update after holding a conversation with the centre-back on Thursday morning, just days out from Sunday’s Old Firm clash with Celtic.
“I spoke to John this morning, he trained, there's a bit of interest in him from one or two clubs, one club maybe a bit further down the line than the other but I think it's something that could develop but I don't think it's at that stage yet but maybe something will happen over the next two or three days,” he said.
So the interest is real. The timeline is short. But the deal is not done.
Told his future lies elsewhere
McInnes has already been blunt with Souttar about where he stands.
“John has been told his long-term future would be best served elsewhere,” he said before Wednesday’s match against St Mirren.
That message underlined what the summer business had already hinted at. Rangers have reshaped their central defensive options, bringing in Ben Godfrey and Olwethu Makhanya to join Emmanuel Fernandez in the heart of the back line. Souttar, once seen as a cornerstone, has slipped down the pecking order.
The manager, though, stressed that the club will not force the issue if nothing concrete lands before the remaining windows close.
“But if nothing materialises, then of course we'll honour his contract, and he'll come back into things,” McInnes added.
For now, Souttar sits in a strange limbo: training, waiting, knowing the club believes his future lies away from Glasgow.
One club ahead of the pack
The latest developments will only intensify speculation over where he goes next. McInnes confirmed there are two active bidders, but he refused to name them or confirm whether Aris are among that pair.
“There's a bit of interest in him from one or two clubs, one club maybe a bit further down the line than the other,” he said, hinting that clarity could arrive quickly.
Souttar had attracted interest earlier in the summer as well, yet stayed put when the main window shut. This time, with foreign markets still open and his role at Rangers diminished, the momentum feels different.
Clinton Nsiala is also available for a move, though a proposed switch to Cyprus has fallen away for now, underlining that Rangers’ defensive reshuffle is not limited to one player.
For Souttar, the clock is ticking. Two or three days, as his manager put it. Then he will either be starting a new chapter abroad or facing the challenge of forcing his way back into a defence that has already moved on without him.
