BOSS HOPES MIXU CAN SWAY SOUTTAR
DUNDEE UNITED are prepared to make John Souttar a top earner at Tannadice as they attempt to cling on to the player amid rising interest from Celtic and Rangers. The Scotland Under-21 cap has so far not accepted the terms put forward to extend his existing contract, which expires at the end of the season. United chairman Stephen Thompson admits the club have reached their financial limits, but hopes new boss Mixu Paatelainen may yet prompt a change of heart from the teenager. ‘John was offered a contract to make him the equally highest paid player at the club at the age of 19,’ said Thompson, who insisted there had been no approaches as yet. ‘There is not much more the club can do. But now we have a new head coach his attitude might change. ‘He is only 19. It feels like he has been around a lot longer than that. I don’t read half the stuff speculated just now. It’s just the nature of the game.’ While Souttar could walk under freedom of contract, delivering only a compensation fee to United, Thompson insists there is no longer any pressing need for United to sell key players. Fans reacted angrily when Stuart Armstrong and Gary Mackay-Steven left for Celtic last season, with Nadir Ciftci following suit this summer. Those deals banked United in the region of £3million, putting the club in a far healthier financial state as Paatelainen’s tenure gets under way. ‘The debt’s gone down from a huge peak. We have some but it is manageable,’ said Thompson. ‘We are about building the team again. We have traded our way through getting rid of the debt. Other clubs have gone down different routes.’