Mirko Ivanic is expected to sign a new contract with Red Star Belgrade after Rangers launched a £3 million bid for the goalscoring midfielder, as reported by Serbian publication Kurir.
After investing just £2 million on four players in the summer transfer window, the Scottish Premiership champions found themselves having to face inevitable accusations.
Were they standing still rather than building on the success of a remarkable 2020/21 campaign?
Had Steven Gerrard, Ross Wilson and co adequately reinforced a squad that swept all before them the season before, performing well above expectations in a manner that, while highly impressive, also felt suspiciously unsustainable?
A drop-off in performance levels since August – two Champions League defeats out of two, draws against Motherwell and Alashkert – have only added to the narrative, even if the Glasgow giants have still won six out of eight league games.
But you’d be wrong to suggest Rangers lacked ambition in the transfer market.
John Lundstram and Fashion Sakala were still high-profile, eyebrow-raising additions, even if they did arrive without a transfer fee.
Furthermore, Rangers were willing to spend big if the opportunity arose to land a player capable of strolling into Gerrard’s XI and providing an immediate upgrade on those who came before.
A £4 million bid was launched for box-to-box midfielder Joey Veerman, albeit falling well short of Heerenveen’s £9 million valuation.
What next for Rangers target and Red Star star Mirko Ivanic?
Rangers also offered a cool £3 million for Ivanic, an attacking midfielder with a goalscoring record Alfredo Morelos would be proud of.
20 goals and 16 assists were recorded in 2020/21 as Red Star – or Crvena Zvezda, if you like – secured a league and cup double.
Given his contract is due to expire in July, Rangers may have been tempted to renew their interest in the new year, particularly given they’ve often struggled to unlock disciplined defences at the start of Gerrard’s fourth term at the helm.
Any lingering hopes appear to have been extinguished, however, with Kurir reporting Ivanic is set to sign a new contract complete with substantial wage increase.
After a remarkable 20-goal, double-winning season, no-one could claim Ivanic doesn’t deserve a pay rise.
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