Rangers are reportedly keen on bringing John Souttar to Ibrox.
Hearts boss Craig Levein has told The Scottish Sun that he thinks defender John Souttar is the best centre back in Scotland without doubt.
Hearts travelled to Glasgow to take on Inverness Caledonian Thistle on Saturday afternoon, and booked their place in the final with a fine 3-0 win.
Uche Ikpeazu put Hearts in front before Souttar made it 2-0, and a Sean Clare penalty sealed a comfortable victory and a passage into the final against Celtic.
Souttar really stole the show, popping up with a smart finish to double the lead whilst also serving up a colossal display in the heart of Levein’s defence.
The performance came just a day after Souttar was linked with a big move to Rangers, and The Herald now claim Hearts want £2million for their star defender.
Rangers may well feel that’s a smart investment given Souttar’s development at Tynecastle, as he’s now become the player many expected him to be when he emerged at Dundee United.
Now, Levein has hailed Souttar – possibly in an attempt to convince Hearts to keep him or hike up the asking price – by claiming he’s the best centre back in Scotland, ahead of the likes of Scott McKenna.
Levein feels Souttar is good on the ball, strong, quick, focused and aggressive, claiming the Rangers target was ‘imperious’ on Saturday afternoon.
“For me, he is the best centre-back in Scotland — for sure,” said Levein. “He can do wonderful things with the ball — his passing on Saturday was fantastic — and he is now capable of competing physically with any centre- forward. I’ve known John since he was 12 and he has just got better and better.”
“When he came here from Dundee United we just needed to give him time, but he has now grown into the player I always hoped he would be. His pace is there, he is strong, focused and aggressive. He was imperious against Inverness,” he added.
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