Red Star Belgrade may be forced to sell Mirko Ivanic to Steven Gerrard’s Rangers after missing out on Champions League football, according to Mondo.
Rangers weren’t the only side counting the cost of an early Champions League exit last week.
A 2-1 aggregate defeat to Moldovan outfit FC Sheriff Tiraspol means Red Star Belgrade will be denied a seat at Europe’s top table this season. And that’s not all.
Serbian publication Mondo claims Red Star have been hit hard in the pocket by their shock defeat, with a worrying financial predicament potentially forcing them to cash in on a couple of star players before the transfer window shuts.
Rangers have bid £3m for Mirko Ivanic
Red Star have already sold winger Zeljko Gavric to Hungarian side Ferencvaros. And it’s understood 27-year-old Ivanic could be sacrificed too after Rangers made a bid in the region of £3 million for the 15-cap Montenegro international (Mozzartsport).
Red Star, then, have a difficult decision to make.
Do they cash in on a player who has become one of the first names on the team sheet? Coach Dejan Stankovic, he of Inter Milan fame, is a huge fan of an attacking midfielder who produced a stunning 20 goals and 16 assists as Red Star completed a league and cup double in 2020/21.
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Furthermore, Red Star have previously turned down offers bigger than the one put forward by Rangers. Russian giants Dinamo Moscow offered close to £4 million for Ivanic not so long ago.
Rangers did complete the signing of Huddersfield Town schemer Juninho Bacuna before last night’s Europa League victory over FC Alashkert and it’s uncertain whether Ivanic was seen as an alternative to the Curacao international or someone capable of playing alongside him in Gerrard’s already well-stocked midfield.
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