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As Preston reportedly plot £1m Josh Windass bid, should Rangers refuse offers?

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Scottish champions Rangers may face a challenge to keep Josh Windass at Ibrox with Championship side Preston North End reportedly preparing an offer.

Jamie Murphy of Brighton in action during the Sky Bet Championship match between Norwich City and Brighton & Hove Albion at Carrow Road on April 21, 2017 in Norwich, England.

While Rangers look set to complete the eye-catching signing of Jamie Murphy from Brighton, it appears that they may face an unwelcome challenge keeping Josh Windass at Ibrox beyond January.

The Mail reports that Championship promotion chasers Preston North End are set to launch a £1 million bid for Rangers’ Josh Windass this month.

They may have to double their offer to tempt the Glasgow giants into a sale, however, with the Daily Record (live transfer blog, 8.13am) stating last month that Rangers would not consider selling the midfielder for less than £2 million; not a bad profit on a player they paid a minimal compensation fee for in 2016 when his contract with Accrington Stanley came to an end.

Josh Windass of Rangers looks dejected after the Ladbrokes Scottish Premiership match between Rangers and Celtic at Ibrox Stadium on April 29, 2017 in Glasgow, Scotland.

But even if Preston do offer as much as £2 million, it would make little sense for Rangers to sell Windass now. After all, if they want to close the gap at the top of the table, they need to keep hold of their best players.

And after a shaky start to life at Ibrox, there is little doubt that the 23-year-old is now one of the most important players in the squad.

Windass has taken his game to a new level since Graeme Murty replaced Pedro Caixinha on the touchline in October, filling in to great effect on the left wing and even ending 2017 with a run of five goals in eight games.

Josh Windass of Rangers has a shot on goal during the Ladbrokes Scottish Premiership match between Rangers FC and Celtic FC at Ibrox Stadium on April 29, 2017 in Glasgow, Scotland.

Windass has won over even his most vocal Ibrox critics in the last few months with many taking to Twitter to admit they were wrong to write him off after he inspired an impressive 2-1 win at Hibernian in mid-December.

His career at Ibrox looked in limbo at the start of the season; now, Windass should fall into the indisposable category.