Rangers boss Steven Gerrard has told The Herald that Leon Balogun is close to earning another year at Ibrox.
When Nikola Katic went down with a major knee injury, Rangers had to dip back into the transfer market to find another centre back.
The Gers chose to sign Balogun, landing him on a free transfer having been with Wigan Athletic at the end of last season.
Balogun ticked the boxes for Gerrard; he had played in the Premier League and Bundesliga, he has plenty of experience at 32 and has more than 30 Nigeria caps.
The centre back has been important for Rangers this season, making 23 appearances in all competitions whilst offering strong competition for Connor Goldson and Filip Helander.
Rangers have just signed another centre back in Jack Simpson, Katic should be back in the summer, and George Edmundson returns from Derby County at the end of the season.
Gerrard almost certainly won’t carry six centre backs next season, but it looks like Balogun is in line for an extended stay in Glasgow.
Gerrard noted that Rangers won’t have six central defenders this summer, but whilst Balogun is out of contract, he looks set to earn an extension due to a clause in his contract.
This would suggest that Balogun will have an extra year added to his deal if he reaches 25 or 30 appearances, and Gerrard is very happy to keep him at Ibrox.
“We have six centre backs at the moment but that won’t be the case in the summer,” said Gerrard. “Leon has something in his contract that might trigger on its own in the coming weeks. But we don’t have to wait for that because we are really happy with the player and I want him around for next season anyway,” he added.
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