Hearts striker Kyle Lafferty has admitted he is interested in re-joining Rangers and has been spurred on by their attempts to sign him before the window shuts.
Craig Levein has dismissed Rangers’ opening offer for Lafferty, which the Scottish Sun claim was worth £200,000, but it has been widely reported they will return with an improved bid amid speculation they are making “progress” on matching the Tynecastle club’s asking price.
My indian spirit guide telling me on Lafferty deal ' progress ' being made with gap & cash with Windass departure fee will be undisclosed after compromise from both clubs. His words!
— Bill Young (@BillYoungRadio) August 11, 2018
The Northern Ireland international revealed after his heroics against Celtic at the weekend that he is keen on a return to Ibrox six years after his first spell controversially ended.
“When a team like Rangers is interested in you, it’s something you have to look at and you know you’re doing something right,” Lafferty said, as quoted by the Scottish Sun.
“But it’s up to the two clubs. I owe Hearts and the club the respect to continue giving 110?per cent. If the clubs agree something, they agree something. If not then I continue working hard. It’s not going to change my attitude.
“Hearing teams like Rangers are interested in you, you intend to give that little bit extra to show that obviously you can play and score goals.”
OPINION
Lafferty has made no attempt to hide his excitement at interest from Rangers, which paves the way for his second spell at the club. The first ended in acrimony when he quit for Switzerland following their demotion to the bottom tier of Scottish football, but supporters who still hold a grudge need to get over it. The giant striker was well within his rights to leave at that lowly point in Gers history, and his devotion for his boyhood club is crystal clear. Crucially, the giant Irishman – Lafferty stands at 6ft 4in according to Transfermarkt – would add a new dimension to a Rangers front line overly dependent upon the up-and-down Alfredo Morelos. He scored 19 goals for Hearts last season and showed with his one-man demolition job of the Celtic defence at the weekend that he is a force to be reckoned with. Indeed, the 30-year-old is a more rounded player than the battering ram who was a key member of the Walter Smith side that won three consecutive titles.