A major update has emerged on a Rangers transfer target, with a decision set to be made on a potential move to Ibrox under Giovanni van Bronckhorst.

What's the talk?

According to STV journalist Raman Bhardwaj, Hearts defender John Souttar is on the verge of deciding his future, with his contact at the Premiership side up at the end of the season.

He Tweeted: "John Souttar has narrowed down his choice to Rangers and two English Championship clubs as to who he'll sign a pre-contract with. He's set to make a decision this week. A host of clubs are interested in the Hearts defender."

Excitement

This news will surely leave Rangers fans feeling excited as it appears as though they will know sooner rather than later whether or not he will be playing for the club next season. A decision is not far away and the Gers are in the final three-team shortlist, which gives them a great chance of landing him.

Supporters will be particularly excited by this as Souttar could be a fantastic signing for Van Bronckhorst and solve a major issue in the summer. Connor Goldson's contract expires this year and he could depart for nothing ahead of the 2022/23 campaign, leaving a huge hole in the middle of the club's defence.

This is where Souttar could come in and plug that gap as he has proven that he has the quality to be a top performer at Premiership level.

Former Hearts boss Craig Levein was previously effusive in his praise of the enforcer, saying:

“I’ve known him since he was 12 years old and he’s just got better and better. When he came here from Dundee Utd, we just needed to give him time. He’s grown into the player that I hoped he would be and for me he’s the best centre back in Scotland.

“Just for the fact that he can do wonderful things. His passing of the ball Saturday was fantastic, but he is also now capable physically of competing with any centre forward. His pace is very, very good and he’s strong, focused and aggressive."

In the Premiership this season, he has averaged a phenomenal SofaScore rating of 7.43. Souttar has won 71% of his duels and made 4.4 clearances per game, in comparison to Goldson's 7.18 rating and 66% duels won.

This suggests that he could come in and prove to be an upgrade on the Englishman, which is why this latest update will excite supporters.

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