Rangers are certainly not resting on their laurels this summer, making moves in the transfer market even before the window officially opens and with the Scottish Cup final meeting with Celtic still on the horizon.
According to reports, Philippe Clement‘s backline is set to be boosted by the arrivals of left-footed duo Jose Cordoba and Jefte Vital. The former, Cordoba, could join in a £3.2 million deal from Bulgarian outfit Levski Sofia.
Jefte, meanwhile, heard Fabrizio Romano utter those three magic words on Wednesday; Ibrox-bound and ‘here we go‘.
Rangers are reportedly leading a sizeable queue to bring in Orlando Pirates’ Iniesta-esque playmaker Relebohile ‘Rele’ Mofokeng too. But, while Clement and Nils Koppen are casting the net far and wide in pursuit of bargain buys, that does not mean Rangers are ignoring the talent available right under their nose.
Rangers make move for Motherwell goalkeeper Liam Kelly
According to Sky Sports, Liam Kelly‘s Rangers return is not a done deal – at least not yet – but talks are most certainly underway. And this is one of those deals that just makes sense, from every direction you look at it.
He will be a free-agent when his Motherwell contract ends imminently. Kelly, as they say, knows the club and knows the league too. At 28, the Scotland international goalkeeper should be coming into his prime too, at a time in which Jon McLaughlin looks set to bid farewell to the Glasgow giants and Robby McCrorie appears to be considering his own future.
“If he is free he isn’t going to cost a lot of money,” points out Andy Walker, the former Celtic forward speaking to Go Radio. “He’s got so much experience of the top flight in Scotland so it maybe makes sense.”
There is, however, one concern nagging away at the back of Barry Ferguson’s mind. Is Kelly really on his way back to Rangers to provide back-up for the club’s Player of the Year Jack Butland? Or is there something slightly more worrying going on, Premier League interest in Butland well documented?
Barry Ferguson shares Jack Butland fears
“What does that tell you? Does that tell you maybe Jack Butland has interest in him? I wouldn’t be surprised if Jack has interest because of the way he has played,” the former Rangers captain wonders.
“The worry is you are going to lose your best player at this moment in time. Every player has a price on their head. Rangers got Jack on a free transfer – obviously a big salary – but I am sure there will be Premier League clubs looking at him as their number one.
“I am sure that is a concern for the Rangers supporters that they could be losing a player of the quality of Jack Butland.”
The England international did, at least, ease some of the fears a few weeks back. Butland told the Scottish Sun that he was ‘loving’ life in Scotland. His sights are firmly fixed on adding a few trophies to the League Cup win he enjoyed late last year.
Still, Kelly would be a capable replacement if a worst-case scenario was to arrive. The Motherwell captain has been one of the most reliable shot-stoppers in the league across recent seasons, and the best could still be yet to come.
Kelly may feel he has unfinished business at Ibrox too. The Glasgow-born goalkeeper spent over a decade at Auchenhowie but left for Livingston in 2018 before ever making a first-team appearance.
