Jamie Walker’s comments suggest he may take some convincing to make 2018 Rangers move

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Rangers attempted to sign Jamie Walker, and could make a new move to take him to Ibrox in 2018.

Hearts winger Jamie Walker has told the Daily Record that if Rangers really wanted to sign him, they would have struck a deal to sign him over the summer – and the Gers may well fear their chances of landing him in 2018 have been dented.

Rangers manager Pedro Caixinha was given the backing to bring in a raft of new signings over the summer, as 11 new faces – including Bruno Alves, Fabio Cardoso, Graham Dorrans and Alfredo Morelos – arrived at Ibrox.

However, having sold Barrie McKay to Nottingham Forest, many fans felt that another winger was needed, ideally a player who had already shown his quality in Scottish football.

Rangers subsequently targeted a move for Hearts winger Jamie Walker, but couldn’t agree a deal for the wide man before the August transfer deadline, having had two bids rejected.

Walker, 24, hit 15 goals last season and appeared to be the ideal signing for Rangers, given that he had turned down a new deal with Hearts and could have signed in a cut-price deal given that his contract expires in 2018.

Now, the Scot has told the Daily Record that there was interest from Rangers, but if they really wanted to sign him, they would have paid the necessary fee, with Hearts allegedly only wanting around £600,000.

The Scottish Sun claim that Rangers will launch a pre-contract agreement bid for Walker in January, but his latest comments suggest that he isn’t too happy with the Gers, and their lack of desire to truly push the boat out to land him may leave Walker feeling a little undervalued by the Ibrox club.

The situation is now entirely in Walker’s hands. Once the transfer window opens in January, he can begin fielding pre-contract agreement offers from other clubs, with a number of teams no doubt interested in signing him on a free transfer.

Rangers should have taken up the chance to land Walker when they had it, as they now risk seeing him move on to another club for nothing – and whilst the Gers could still win the race, they should have been willing to pay up for a player they pursued all summer, and the winger may need some convincing that he really is wanted at Ibrox.