An update has emerged on a possible exit for a Glasgow Rangers defender ahead of the 2023/24 Scottish Premiership campaign…
What's the latest Rangers transfer news?
According to The Sun, Premier League side Nottingham Forest are 'lining up' a swoop to sign Light Blues left-back, Borna Barisic during the summer transfer window.
The report claims that they are keen to sign the Croatia international to solve their full-back woes after Renan Lodi returned to Atletico Madrid at the end of last season.
It states that Forest sporting director Ross Wilson, who left Ibrox earlier this year, is now ready to raid his former team to bolster Steve Cooper's squad.
There is no mention of how much the English outfit are prepared to pay for his services but it does say that the Gers could demand a fee of around £2m.
How old is Borna Barisic?
The Rangers defender is 30 and now in the final year of his contract with the Scottish giants, which means that this could be the perfect opportunity for Michael Beale to cash in on him.
Barisic turns 31 in November and this interest from Forest would allow the Gers to potentially replace him with a younger option in that position to compete with Ridvan Yilmaz, instead of handing a new deal to a player who may be heading into the final years of his career.
Beale must ruthlessly ditch the Croatian veteran as his defensive performances left far too much to be desired last season, with his lapses in concentration at the back post making him a liability at times.
Former Celtic midfielder Kris Commons wrote that the full-back 'nods off like a security guard' in defence and described him as the 'weak link' in the Rangers team, who could be specifically targeted by the opposition to cause damage to the Glasgow giants.
Pundit Stephen Craigan also stated that the 30-year-old dud "can’t defend his back post" and claimed that he is not going to learn to improve that aspect of his game at that age.
Rangers finished seven points behind Celtic in the Premiership table last season and Beale must not leave any stone unturned this summer in his attempts to build a side that will be capable of wrestling back control of the division next term.
This is why brutally binning Barisic from the squad could be a shrewd piece of business for the English head coach amid this interest from Forest as the Light Blues would be moving on a player who has proven himself to be a liability in defence.
The £18k-per-week dud could be immediately replaced by 22-year-old talent Ridvan Yilmaz, who has time on his hands to develop and grow with more experience at Ibrox, after the ex-Besiktas man started five games in May at the end of last season.
A potential fee of £2m could also allow Beale to dip back into the market to bring in another left-sided option to compete with the Turkey international for a spot in the team.
The 42-year-old tactician could target a defensive-minded player who is capable of guarding the back post to stop the likes of Liel Abada and Daizen Maeda from sneaking in to score easy goals in the Old Firm matches next season.
