Michael Beale says Leon King and a senior Rangers player will sign new Ibrox contract

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Michael Beale has told his Rangers press conference on Wednesday afternoon that Leon King and a “senior” Rangers player will sign new Ibrox deals in the next couple of days – with a number of his players currently out of contract.

Beale, 42, is preparing to take on his first competitive match as Rangers manager after returning to the club earlier this month. The London-born gaffer is set to play host to Hibernian on Thursday night, after a friendly win over Leverkusen.

King, 18, came into the season with just seven appearances for the first team under his belt. But injuries have seen King play 20 times in all competitions this time around. His contract at Ibrox is due to come to an end in June 2024.

Beale was asked about a new contract for King, which Fabrizio Romano reported was close earlier this week. He said that King was expected to sign a new deal in the next couple of days – as well as a senior player signing a contract.

“Yeah there’s positive signs with that [King deal], I think you’ll hear something in the next couple of days and one other player signing new deals, which is really important for the club,” Beale told his press conference, as per STV.

“We’ve got some really important players under 25 that are important for the future. Leon is one of those. He’s got potential to kick on and be a really important player for Rangers and Scotland. The other is one of the senior players.”

Beale: King and a senior Rangers player will sign new Ibrox deals

Getting King penned down to a new deal is important. Romano himself reported back in October that King was the subject of interest from Leeds United, Newcastle and Manchester United. But, he has chosen to remain at Rangers.

As for the senior player, Rangers fans will be hoping it is either Alfredo Morelos or Ryan Kent. Both are out of contract at the end of the season. Come January, will be allowed to speak to clubs on a pre-contract arrangement.

Ryan Jack, Filip Helander, Scott Arfield, Steven Davis, Allan McGregor and a handful of young Rangers players are also out of contract in June 2023. It will be interesting to see who Beale has struck an agreement with, to sign a new deal.