Hodgson sets Davis price

Fulham boss warns valuation must be met

Last updated: 15th August 2008

Roy Hodgson Fulham v Celtic

Hodgson: Price must be right

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Fulham manager Roy Hodgson has warned Rangers that they will miss out on Steven Davis if they do not meet the midfielder's valuation.

Davis has been a summer-long target of Ibrox boss Walter Smith following a successful loan spell in Scotland last season.

Rangers, who are without injured captain Barry Ferguson, are desperate to reinforce their central midfield before the end of the transfer window, but they have been unable to capture Davis.

Fulham are not keen to allow the Northern Ireland international to leave Craven Cottage on a permanent basis and value him at around £7million, a fee Rangers appear unwilling to offer.

And Hodgson has now hinted that the SPL side could be set to miss out on the 23-year-old, telling the Daily Record: "They say Rangers have not had much money until now.

Stature

"But I find that hard to understand because they get 50,000 people every other week and it is a very big club.

"We are being obliged to contemplate transfers of £6m, £8m and that type of figure, so it seems strange a club of that stature can only afford what they have offered us.

"I am perfectly happy to keep Steven. He is a good player and I would be very disappointed if the club allowed him to go for a sum of money that is below his worth."

Davis, though, is understood to be keen to return to Scotland and Hodgson accepts that it could be difficult to turn down Rangers' advances.

"I suppose the risk exists still that Rangers will come in with a bid that the club finds acceptable," added Hodgson.

"He would desperately want to go and I would be in a difficult situation. But that situation hasn't occurred yet and it has dad a lot of time to occur."