Rangers manager Steven Gerrard has insisted that Southampton are not interested in a move for defender James Tavernier after making contact with the English Premier League club.
The Express reported this weekend that the top-flight side were keen on signing the Gers captain as a replacement for Cedric Soares, potentially making an £8m move to bring the full-back back to English football.
Gerrard though has allayed fears he is set for an imminent Ibrox exit.
As quoted by The Scottish Sun, he said:
They’re not looking. We made a call about it this morning and they’re not.
I think there will be talk of Tav and talk of Alfredo before the window closes but the reality is there hasn’t been a respectable bid for any of our players so far.
Will one come? Possibly. I’ll have to answer the question when it does.
Clearly the manager is expecting interest in his star players before the end of the transfer window, but at least there are no firm offers on the table that would tempt the club into selling.
Southampton have the resources to bring Tavernier south if they really want him, but hopefully we do not face any late transfer drama in the final days of January. The right-back has been superb this season and proven himself to be one of our key attacking talents.
With trophies up for grabs in the second half of the season, we would be foolish to let him leave anytime soon.