Ross Stewart to Rangers transfer still on the table but Sunderland ready mega offer to fend off vultures

Sunderland are ready to offer striker Ross Stewart more money in a bid to fend off interest from Rangers and a litany of other English clubs. The Stadium of Light side’s top scorer has already pocketed an automatic rise after proving pivotal in their promotion back to the English Championship.

Now Sunderland want to table a further improvement and an extended deal to last season’s 26-goal forward. The club plan to kick talks off when the former Ross County player comes back from his summer break in the coming days.

Stewart is on Rangers ’ radar and is among a number of striking options at which Ibrox sporting director Ross Wilson is looking. PAOK frontman Antonio Colak is another in the Glasgow giants’ sights with the Greek side looking for a deal of around £2.5 million for their Croatian star.

Rangers are looking to replace Cedric Itten who has quit for BSC Young Boys. The Govan side know they could be looking for other frontline options if interest in Alfredo Morelos, who is now in the final year of his contract, comes to fruition.

The Colombian has recently been linked with interest from Seville, with some of his new representatives mainly based in Spain. The potential sale of Morelos would give them more financial muscle.

Stewart, who recently made his long-awaited international debut, has already been flagged up by the Rangers’ scouting department and has now been taken on by Wilson and manager Giovanni van Bronckhorst. The Scotland cap was instrumental in helping Sunderland win promotion and also scored one of the goals at Wembley that saw them beat Wycombe in the play-off final.

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