Sunderland are now ready to offer Ross Stewart more money in a bid to fend off interest from Scottish Premiership giants Rangers, according to the Daily Record.

The Lowdown: Stewart’s season

After arriving at the Stadium of Light in January 2021, the 25-year-old went on to establish himself as one of the most dangerous players in League One.

Having netted 26 goals across the most recent campaign, the Scotland international ended up level with Wigan Athletic’s Will Keane as the division’s top scorer.

Perhaps even more impressively, Stewart started all 49 league games last season including the play-offs, being substituted on just six occasions.

The Latest: Rangers want Stewart

Stewart is currently a target for Rangers, with Ibrox sporting director Ross Wilson having listed the Black Cats marksman as a possible option this summer.

However, according to the Daily Record, Sunderland are ready to offer the forward more money in a bid to fend off interest from the Glasgow club and a plethora of English suitors.

Stewart pocketed an automatic pay rise for his vital role in the Black Cats’ promotion to the Championship, but the Wearside club are keen to give him an even more lucrative deal in order to keep hold of him.

Therefore, it is reported that talks will be opened when the Scotsman comes back from his summer break in the near future.

The Verdict: Keep him at all costs…

Sunderland director Kristjaan Speakman has previously spoken of his determination to keep Stewart at the Stadium of Light, having labelled the attacker’s season ‘incredible’.

The 25-year-old averaging the Black Cats' highest match rating across the entire campaign with an impressive 7.42, with second-placed Tom Flanagan trailing behind with 7.04 (via WhoScored).

Also, Sunderland's next-highest scorer, Nathan Broadhead, netted a comparatively meagre 10 league goals, illustrating just how crucial Stewart was in their promotion campaign.

With Alex Neil’s side preparing for life in the Championship, it is imperative for the Black Cats to hold on to their star striker at all costs, given the probable difficulty in finding a like-for-like replacement.