There has been a wealth of interest in John Souttar over the last few weeks, with numerous Championship sides all keen to bring the player to England - and now, the Daily Record is reporting that Middlesbrough, QPR and Preston are now also amongst a swathe of clubs now keeping tabs on the situation.

Football League World's exclusive sources initially reported that Stoke were leading the chase for the player and that they have been tailed by Nottingham Forest.

Now though, it looks like even more teams are in the reckoning for his signature, with a list of seven other teams now also considering a move for the player. It appears that Blackburn, QPR, Middlesbrough, Luton, Preston, Birmingham and Blackpool all keeping an eye on the situation too.

It means there should be a huge battle on for his signature come the winter transfer window and Hearts may have to reluctantly accept losing one of their key players at the turn of the year.

The player has become a regular in the SPL and has impressed many in the league with his showings so far. This year, he has featured 12 times and has bagged three goals but he's been with Hearts since he was a youngster and has been with them throughout their stay in the top tier and even during their demotion to the Scottish Championship.

He's always remained a mainstay in the team but this year he has truly hit another level and it is now leading to interest from afar - and it means that after seven seasons with the club, he could finally be about to depart.

Although there is the chance to stay in Scotland - two of the SPL's biggest teams would also not mind signing Souttar - this same report suggests that the player himself would prefer to make a move to England.

He has yet to play in the EFL and challenge himself there, so it would present a completely new start and a completely new challenge for the player. If he can carry his form over to England though, then there is no reason why he could not thrive there.

The Verdict

John Souttar certainly has a lot of admirers.

It looks like he may end up in England and sooner rather than later too, with a whole host of clubs all keen to bring him in.

He wouldn't look out of place in the Championship judging by his superb showings in Scotland it now just remains a case of which team can land his signature.

Whoever does will be getting themselves a solid player with a lot of potential to get even better.