Killiefc.com can exclusively reveal today that the hottest property in
Scottish football, Steven 'Kid Goals' Naismith has been the subject of a
transfer bid by a top English club. The newly promoted side has more
than trebled the miserly amount offered by penny pinching second placed
SPL side Rangers and are willing to part with in excess of £1.4m for the
wonder kid. Naismith has had a fantastic season, scoring nineteen goals
and winning another two national Young Player of the Year awards, and
that has attracted the attention of some of Europe's big guns, including
an approach from Wenger's Arsenal.
Kilmarnock chairman Michael Johnston, who laughed off interest from the
also-ran Rangers camp, said: "We are now nearing the kind of figures
which we would consider to be a starting point for negotiations." And
continued "We have no wish to sell our best players as financially we
are starting to turn the corner, but in this game every player has his
price and we be doing the fans a disservice not to consider the options
should the price be right. As well as considering the financial
wellbeing of the club and Steven's future, it is vitally important to
keep the fans happy, as they are the lifeblood of the club, they can
rest assured we will not be selling them short. My preference would be
to see Steven stay at Rugby Park on improved terms and I look forward to
discussing that with him on his return from international duty."
Naismith, who hails from Stewarton, is keen to stay in the area to be
near his family, and would see a move to Rangers as the ideal
stepping-stone for a transfer to the English Premiership. A few seasons
of European football, should the Glasgow club's fortunes improve, would
be valuable experience for the youngster, and stand him in good stead to
go south of the border to face the world's elite. Some might say that a
season or two more at Kilmarnock, Scotland's oldest and finest
professional club, would be of more benefit to Naismith, given their
track record as a top quality breeding ground for young talent...but in
the end it will be the money men who make the decision, like they always
do.
