Rangers striker Ryan Hardie has been in impressive form at Livingston this season.
Steven Gerrard and Rangers are reportedly interested in luring Liverpool striker Dom Solanke to Ibrox this summer with the new Gers boss looking to use his connections with Jurgen Klopp to land the forward, but what is left for Ryan Hardie?
The Daily Record claim the Gers have “third-party preliminary talks” in an attempt to land the 20-year-old striker, who joined Liverpool from Chelsea last summer.
Solanke has been made to wait for a chance to shine in Klopp’s side, but has still managed to make 27 league and cup outings for the Reds, in which he has scored once. Not the best of stats, but he has come off the bench in 21 of those.
The Gers already boast Alfredo Morelos, Eduardo Herrera and Jason Cummings as options up front, with the club said to be in talks with Nottingham Forest over a permanent deal for the latter.
Doubts remain over the future of Herrera, while Morelos was the subject of multiple bids from the Chinese Super League in January. However, they both remain at the club and ahead of youngster Hardie in the pecking order.
Hardie, 21, was afforded just 54 minutes of Scottish Premiership football this season before joining Livingston on loan until the end of the campaign, where he has helped David Hopkin’s side fight for promotion.
His eight goals in 16 Championship appearances saw Livi qualify for the promotion play-off, in which they beat Dundee United 4-3 over two legs. They face Partick Thistle for a place back in the top flight.
But his contract at Rangers is set to expire in the matter of a fortnight, and his chances of achieving a new deal between then and now are slim with the Scotland Under-21 international so far down the pecking order.
Indeed, the signing of Solanke or any other striker would push Hardie down the rankings even further. Surely, then, the signing of Solanke will see Hardie finally leave his boyhood club.
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