Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
GERS WANT LAFF
RANGERS are lining up a second bid for Kyle Lafferty after Hearts kicked out their £200,000 offer.
The Ibrox club are locked in a three-way fight with Azerbaijani side Qarabag and South Korean outfit FC Seoul for the Northern Ireland striker’s signature.
Tynecastle chiefs are adamant last season’s top scorer
won’t be allowed to leave on the cheap and have placed a £750,000 price tag on the striker who scored 19 goals last term.
But with only a year left on the deal Lafferty signed after leaving Norwich, the striker looks set for an exit from the Edinburgh club.
It is believed a clause in Lafferty’s two year contract signed last summer includes a substantially reduced wage during the duration of his second season.
It’s another factor in the 30-year-old’s desire to explore alternatives to staying for another campaign in Gorgie and a return to Ibrox is an appealing proposition.
But it’s also understood that a bumper package is being prepared by
Quarabag to try and lure Lafferty to Azerbaijan Premier League while FC Seoul are also keen to take the hitman to South Korea.
Lafferty’s preference remains a move back to Rangers who he first joined in 2008 from Burnley and it’s understood an improved offer will be lodged early next week as boss Steven Gerrard aims to bolster his attacking options for the start of the season.