£2 million man Nikola Katic could stay at Rangers FC due to a lack of ‘suitable offers from any other clubs’, the Croatian defender’s agent Mladen Kliskinic tells the Scottish Daily Express.
If the once-capped international wants to force his way back into the Croatia squad ahead of the Qatar World Cup, well, four months on the Ibrox bench aren’t going to do his chances much good.
Katic, a £2 million signing from Slaven Belupo four years ago, hasn’t played a competitive game for the Glasgow giants since the 2019/20 season.
And while he has featured fairly regularly in pre-season under Giovanni van Bronckhorst, Katic will likely find himself stuck behind Ben Davies, Connor Goldson, Filip Helander and John Souttar in the pecking order.
That’s without mentioning highly-rated youngster Leon King. Or the versatile John Lundstram and James Sands, for that matter.
Is Nikola Katic staying at Rangers?
But, as things stand, a lack of alternative options means Katic may have little choice but to stay and fight for his place.
“We believe Niko will be staying in Glasgow,” Kliskinic explains. “He has a contract with Rangers (until 2023) so he does not need to leave.
“We have not had any suitable offers from any other clubs.”
Of course, Rangers would rather cash in now than lose Katic on a free transfer 12 months from now. According to The Athletic, the 25-year-old has been made available for transfer. As have Glenn Middleton, Stephen Kelly and forgotten man Jack Simpson.
Katic spent 2021/22 on loan at Hajduk Split back home in Eastern Europe. He played 25 games in all competitions, winning the Croatian Cup.
“At Split, we try to play a style which means we dominate the ball,” Hajduk coach Valdas Dambrauskas tells the Daily Record, indicating that Katic’s new-found confidence in possession could endear himself to Van Bronckhorst.
“I really believe he has improved on that.
“The strongest parts to Niko’s game are his physicality, his heading, defending in the box. Niko is very good when you have to defend deep because he has such a big presence. He loves to fight against strong, powerful opponents.
“In my opinion, he’s going back more mature, stronger, better. Now it’s down to him to prove to Rangers he is ready to fight for his place.”
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