Watch Dundee United vs Rangers live on Sky Sports Football from 12pm; kick off at 12:30pm; Steven Gerrard says he has made it "abundantly clear how much I want Glen Kamara to stay from a personal point of view" and his representatives are happy with the offer put in front of them
Friday 6 August 2021 13:09, UK
Steven Gerrard says Glen Kamara has received a "really strong" contract offer from the club as he looks to tie down the midfielder for the long term.
Kamara, who arrived from Dundee in January 2019, has two years remaining on his deal at Ibrox and has been reportedly been the subject of interest from clubs in England.
Gerrard has made no secret of his admiration for the Finland international and is keen to see Kamara extend his deal.
"I love the kid, I love the player, and I've made it abundantly clear how much I want him to stay from a personal point of view," said Gerrard at a news conference on Friday.
"There's a real strong contract offer on the table for Glen, so the speed at which this happens is totally up to Glen - the ball is firmly in his court.
"The offer from the club is really good, his advisers are happy with the offer, so now it is totally down to Glen.
"So the question that you've just asked me should really go in Glen's direction because we are ready and waiting and hoping that it's done as soon as possible."
Centre-back Connor Goldson says his representatives are in talks with Rangers over a new deal, and he hopes an agreement can be reached as he would like to remain at Ibrox.
Reports earlier this summer suggested Goldson, who played a vital role in Rangers' title win last season, had agreed a new deal, but the defender's future appears to still be somewhat undecided.
The former Brighton defender was open about the fact he is happy to stay in Scotland following suggestions he could move back down south and is waiting for his agent to finalise a deal.
"I obviously don't deal with contract talks, my representatives and Rangers are talking," Goldson told Sky Sports News.
"I've had a few conversations with the gaffer and [sporting director] Ross Wilson over the last couple of months.
"We are all speaking, and we are all talking regularly but as of now there's a lot of games, and I'm just trying to concentrate on football, concentrate on helping Rangers win.
"I'm open to staying here long-term. My representatives wouldn't be talking if I wasn't open to it, so hopefully something can get done, hopefully it can move forward.
"I've told my agent that I don't really want to hear about it until anything does get done."
Rangers have confirmed they will be able to welcome a full capacity crowd back to Ibrox, starting with the second leg of their Champions League qualifier against Malmo on Tuesday.
Before that, though, Gerrard's side face a tough test at Dundee United on Saturday lunchtime, live on Sky Sports Football.
Rangers welcomed 23,000 supporters back to Ibrox for their opening Premiership game of the season against Livingston last weekend, but Gerrard knows how special it will be for fans to be back in their masses on Tuesday.
"Yeah really excited to have fans back, not just for myself but for the players and all connected to the club," added Gerrard. "I mentioned last week that we've been craving a full house.
"The numbers have been building over the last few weeks in pre-season and just to have that noise and raw back was a real special feeling so to get it back at full capacity and full noise…we're really looking forward to Tuesday but first things first we've got a real tough battle on our hands on Saturday.
"It is something everyone at the club is really looking forward to. I'm just so pleased for the fans - they've been patient, they've waited long enough, and I am sure they're even more excited than us."
