Former Rangers star has 'continued' transfer interest from ex-Ibrox boss amid 'huge' Sheffield Wednesday strides

Former Rangers attacker Josh Windass is reportedly expected to remain a Sheffield Wednesday player, despite continue transfer interest in their in-form star from South American club Santos.

The ex-Ibrox star, who has been in some of the best for om his career to date with the English Championship side, has notched a total of 10 goals so far this season and grabbed an assist in the Owls FA Cup shootout defeat against Coventry City at the weekend - making it five goals and two assists in his last seven games.

Brazilian outfit Santos - whom ex-Gers team mate Alfredo Morelos had a recent spell at - are managed by ex-Light Blues manager Pedro Caixinha. He chasing Windass’ signature for several months, but Wednesday are determined to keep hold of one of their most valuable and important assets.

According to The Star, a six-figure approach for Windass was knocked back last week by the South Yorkshire side, but Santos remain interested in a deal and have kept in contact with club officials, although it’s deemed ‘highly unlikely’ the Brazilians will reach Wednesday’s valuation of the player at this stage.

It’s also understood that Wednesday are in a strong position as they hold a year’s extension option on the one-year deal the attacking midfielder signed in the summer.

Röhl stated last week: “Josh is a key player for me and I want to keep him here/ I want to see him on the pitch, and hopefully he can score 10 more goals and he can have 20 - 20 would be fantastic, and I think that’s what we’re working on.

“Josh has a good development, I don’t know all of his history, but when I compare it to last year it’s been a huge step forward. He can play more minutes, he can score, he helps the team, he can make the difference… I think it shows that we can develop and improve players, and this is fantastic to see.”

It is the second time Santos boss Caixinha has attempted to lure Windass to South America after launching a bid to sign him in the summer of 2024 while managing Argentinian outfit Atletico Talleres. The Brazilian domestic season starts this week and Santos are prepared to move onto other targets.

Speaking on national radio the day after the news of a Santos approach became public, Windass outlined his huge satisfaction with life at Hillsborough.

He admitted: “It came as a surprise this morning to be honest when my agent called me, but I love playing where I’m playing. Obviously when your contract is up where you are there’s going to be talk like there always is. It came as a surprise this morning because I’ve obviously not spoken to Pedro for a long time but it is what it is. When you’re in form these things are going to happen.

“When I was a kid it was a dream just to play professional football but I feel honoured to have played for Rangers and a club like Sheffield Wednesday. It’s obviously pressure to play week-in, week-out and I feel like since I’ve been here it’s been difficult in terms of the club and the managers we’ve had but now I feel like we’ve got one of the best managers in the game. I’m learning a lot and we’re doing really well.”