Glasgow Rangers could need to overhaul their defensive options at Ibrox over the summer.
Steven Gerrard has probably got a difficult task trying to make early decisions on who Rangers’s targets could be ahead of the summer transfer window.
There are bound to be offers for Alfredo Morelos, Steven Davis’s future could be up in the air with his loan currently only set to run until the summer, and it remains to be seen whether Liverpool will be willing to field offers for Ryan Kent.
But one area of the squad that will almost definitely need addressing is at the back. As reported by the Daily Record, Joe Worrall is almost nailed on to return to Nottingham Forest, while Gareth McAuley is out of contract in the summer (via club’s official website).
Signing a new centre-back therefore, will surely be a must. And perhaps the player that Gerrard should target is one that he reportedly wanted to bring to Ibrox during the last summer window.
The Scottish Sun reported in May that Rangers were looking at a potential deal for Kyle Bartley, and the centre-back was interested in rejoining the club where he previously enjoyed two loan spells.
Ultimately, the 27-year-old joined West Brom in a deal worth an initial £4 million that will rise to £6 million if the Baggies are promoted to the Premier League this season (via Express and Star).
It is not clear if Rangers came at all close to signing Bartley, but he may wish he had headed to Ibrox instead as it has been a difficult spell for the former Arsenal trainee.
He has not started a Championship game since New Year’s Day as he was the player to make way when Darren Moore switched from a back three to a back four earlier in the campaign.
If West Brom are promoted, it would perhaps be fair to assume that they would be open to offers for the defender in the summer – and that should tempt Rangers to make a fresh move.
He may have struggled at the Hawthorns. But he is a natural leader, and would arguably be a fantastic option to fill the void that Worrall, and perhaps McAuley, could leave in the summer.
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