Former Celtic striker Andy Walker believes one Rangers star leaving the Ibrox giants in the summer for absolutely nothing would be shoddy business.
The Light Blues are in the midst of an enthralling Scottish Premiership title race at the moment with arch-rivals Celtic and trail the latter by just a point.
However, they do have a game in hand over the Hoops after their league fixture against Dundee on Sunday was postponed due to a waterlogged pitch at Dens Park.
Manager Philippe Clement has plenty on his mind to mull over despite the international break, including preparing for four games in 14 days when his first-team squad return to action.
One of those games is a seismic Old Firm derby at Ibrox which will be billed as one of the most anticipated Rangers vs Celtic matches for some time.
Clement won’t be thinking too far ahead of his next few games as Rangers boss but he’ll need to really start thinking about the six Gers players out of contract this summer.
Jon McLaughlin, Kemar Roofe, Ryan Jack, Leon Balogun and John Lundstram will all see their deals expire in just a few months. Borna Barisic is another but his future looks slightly more concrete than the others.
That’s because numerous reports are suggesting the left-back is nearing a move to Turkish side Trabzonspor when the current season ends, with one Croatian outlet claiming personal terms have in fact been agreed.
It would be the end of an era for Barisic who signed for the club in 2018 and has now made over 230 appearances for the Govan club [Transfermarkt].
However, Walker thinks seeing Barisic off in the summer for nothing is very poor on Rangers’ end as he and former Gers winger Jamie Murphy had their say.
Walker’s view on Barisic leaving for free
Andy Walker was speaking alongside Jamie Murphy on The Go Radio Football Show. The former Celtic man thinks because Borna Barisic has been with Rangers for so long, the club should have been seeking to cash in on him at some point.
Walker said: “I think he (Barisic) has been really good. His crossing just as a left-back has been really good.
“It is probably not the best business move to let someone as good as that go to the end of their contract and move for nothing.
“Ideally you want to try and get money for any player who has been there for that amount of time before he comes to the end of his contract.”
Jamie Murphy was not in agreement
Murphy, who now plays for Scottish Championship side Ayr United and previously made 29 appearances for Rangers between 2018 and 2021, wasn’t on the same page as Walker.
The ex-Rangers wide man believes the coming summer is the perfect time for Barisic to depart the club after six years of strong service for Rangers.
Murphy said: “I think his time has probably come to move on. He’s been a great servant over the last couple of years.
“Won some big games and obviously won the Premiership at one point. I don’t think he goes with any bad wishes from any Rangers fans.”
