Rangers centre-back John Souttar is set to leave Ibrox this summer as new manager Derek McInnes begins reshaping his squad ahead of the new season.
The 29-year-old defender, who joined Rangers just over a year ago, was notably absent from the squad for the club’s pre-season training camp in Spain.
McInnes is ready to sanction Souttar’s departure, with the Scotland international now free to seek a new club after falling down the pecking order.
Souttar had agreed a one-year contract extension back in February, but struggled to hold down a regular starting position in the latter stages of last season.
The defender was part of Steve Clarke’s Scotland squad for this summer’s World Cup, though he failed to play a single minute throughout the tournament.
Interest in Souttar is building, with clubs from the English Championship and League One all understood to be monitoring the situation closely.
Russell Martin is keen to reunite with the defender at Leicester City, while Sheffield United, Watford and Cardiff City have also entered the transfer race for his signature.
Souttar is not the only player being moved on, with Brazilian forward Danilo also left behind as Rangers field a string of enquiries from clubs across South America, the Netherlands and Cyprus.
Danilo’s spell at Ibrox has been heavily disrupted by persistent injury problems, and McInnes is understood to be entirely comfortable with his current attacking options.
Rangers have been bolstered up front by the arrivals of Lawrence Shankland, Youssef Chermiti and Bojan Miovski, leaving Danilo surplus to requirements heading into the new campaign.
McInnes has overseen a productive summer window overall, bringing in six new signings as he works to put his own stamp on the Ibrox squad.
Cammy Devlin and Lawrence Shankland have both followed McInnes from Hearts, while former Sunderland captain Dan Neil has also put pen to paper.
Hull City goalkeeper Ivor Pandur and former Rangers academy product Ross McCrorie have additionally signed on as Ibrox begins to take shape under its new management.
The scale of activity this summer signals that McInnes is intent on building a squad capable of challenging on multiple fronts from the very start of the new season.
