Glasgow Rangers are reportedly hoping to bring Kyle Lafferty back to Ibrox this summer.
The Record’s report added that the Gers are in no rush to make another bid for the forward – who has one year left on his deal with his current club – despite Steven Gerrard’s side’s lack of options up front and Lafferty’s desire to return.
It would be wrong to suggest that all of the Rangers fans want the Northern Irishman to come back for a second spell. However, there are clearly a decent number – perhaps even a majority – who wish to see a deal done.
But perhaps history suggests that those who want to see Lafferty return may be left feeling disappointed when the window closes as it is difficult not to notice the parallels between Rangers’ pursuit of the 30-year-old and their attempts to sign his former teammate one year ago.
As reported at the time by the Daily Record, Rangers were keen to sign Jamie Walker and had two bids for the winger rejected by Hearts, who wanted £1 million – the same price that they now want for Lafferty. And like Lafferty this time around, his contract had just one year left to run.
The Gers obviously dug their heels in and decided that they would be better off not signing Walker than spending the seven-figure fee on him. And Hearts showed that they were not prepared to sell for below their asking price despite the contract situation.
With Lafferty in a very similar boat, there is no reason to believe that Hearts will respond differently if Rangers decide not to meet the asking price.
It could certainly be debated whether pursuing Lafferty is the right decision or not by Rangers. But for those who wish to see him back, perhaps the Gers’ pursuit of Walker just provides the slightest hint that they should brace themselves for disappointment.
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