Austrian under-21 international Dejan Ljubicic has claimed he turned down the chance to sign for Rangers this summer, opting instead for a move to German side Koln.
The former Rapid Wien star moved to the Bundesliga side this summer after his contract ended with the Austrians, but admits he was worried when it looked as though Koln could be relegated from the Bundesliga as Rangers and a number of other clubs circled.
One of the big stumbling blocks appears to have been the likelihood that Ljubicic wouldn’t start regularly at Ibrox – impacting his hopes of representing his country when the World Cup qualifiers get started later this year.
“I had offers from several clubs in Germany and I was also in Italy for negotiations and Glasgow Rangers wanted me too,” Ljubicic said, as quoted by the Scottish Sun.
“I decided on Cologne early on, but I admit I was worried when they had to win their relegation play-offs.
“My family and I decided immediately Cologne was the place for me because I will definitely get a start there too.
“And I need to play games because I want to play for Austria.
“Everyone wants to play for their country. I hope my performances in Cologne will convince manager Franco Foda to pick me for the World Cup qualifiers.”
Rangers need quality over quantity this summer
With the Gers having added three new faces to the squad this summer already, Steven Gerrard has made it clear he isn’t looking to simply add numbers to beef up his squad.
Although Ljubicic would have made an interesting signing, his reluctance to move to Ibrox over fears about first-team football suggest Rangers won’t feel too hard done by.
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