Rangers in £300k bid to lure Lee Wallace from Hearts

Rangers have made a formal bid for Hearts and Scotland left back Lee Wallace, the Tynecastle club confirmed last night.

The offer from the Ibrox club is reported to be around the 300,000 mark and looks certain to be rejected by Hearts, who are likely to push for at least twice that amount. Wallace, who made only ten appearances for Hearts last season due to injury, is entering the final year of his contract.

The Tynecastle club face a dilemma because Wallace's market value will greatly diminish if he does not sign a new contract or move on this summer. He would be a free agent this time next year and can enter into negotiations with Rangers, or any other club, from January. Rangers have already lost out on Dundee United's Craig Conway this summer and have enquired about the Tannadice club's striker David Goodwillie.

Wallace came through the youth ranks at Tynecastle and has since made 140 appearances. He has also made five appearances for Scotland, but was badly injured in the last of these against Liechtenstein in September last year. He recovered from the cruciate ligament damage to his knee and played another seven games for Hearts before being sidelined again by an ankle injury. He last appeared for the Tynecastle club in March.

His agent, Gary Mackay, last night confirmed that a bid had been received by Hearts. "I was made aware late this afternoon by a Hearts spokesman that a bid had been received from Glasgow Rangers," Mackay said yesterday.

Hearts have already signed four players this summer. One of them, the former St Johnstone left back Danny Grainger, would be a ready-made replacement for Wallace. Hearts travel to face Rangers in their opening fixture of the new Scottish Premier League season on 23 July.