Steven Gerrard has revealed that Rangers are in talks to extend Jermain Defoe’s stay at the club.
The 38-year-old is currently in his third season at Rangers but his contract is due to expire at the end of the season.
Defoe, who has scored 31 goals in 70 appearances during his time at Ibrox, has been linked with a return to Sunderland this summer.
But Gerrard is keen for ‘top professional’ Defoe to remain at Rangers for another season.
‘It goes without saying that Jermain Defoe is someone I have the ultimate respect and admiration for,’ said Gerrard.
‘He’s been a wonderful player. He’s had a wonderful career. To get him up here in the first place was something I was keen to do, because I knew he would help the group in the way he goes about his business. He’s a top professional.
‘We’re in talks with Jermain at the moment about what’s next for Jermain. But we want to be really respectful, we want to give him the time to make his own decisions.
‘I think he’s at a stage in his life where we’ll listen to Jermain and see what he wants to do moving forward.
‘We’ll go from there. I don’t think it’s right for me to divulge right now what’s been said from my point of view and from his.
‘But we’ll certainly respect Jermain in terms of his own decisions moving forward.’
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