There is no smoke without fire and the continue reports linking Connor Goldson and James Tavernier with moves away from Rangers refuse to go away.
Steven Gerrard has persuaded his board to sanction a bid for the Light Blues skipper, but there has also been an update on his trusted lieutenant.
Philippe Clement dropped Connor Goldson before his season was ended with injury, however, that could well be his last involvement for Rangers if the former manager gets his way.
Connor Goldson exit speculation ramps up for Rangers defender
According to The Daily Record, Gerrard is ‘keen’ to take the 31-year old to Al Ettifaq with Rangers willing to sell.
Tavernier has been linked since last summer with the news that Goldson could be joining him only breaking recently, not that Philippe Clement was impressed when asked if they could be leaving:
“Yes, I expect them to be here next season, that is my expectation.
“My players come to speak with me if they have doubts or if they want to go or if they are out of contract. We have that relationship.
“If I need to speak to every player where there is a rumour about, then we won’t train too much.”
Signs point to Rangers moving on from Goldson
Rangers have signed Clinton Nsiala from AC Milan already with Nathaniel Adjei reported to be the subject of £5m interest and Thomas Galdames linked as well.
Ben Johnson and Rueull Walters are two names that have been mentioned in recent weeks too with Nils Koppen clearly looking to reinforce the defence and add more pace and energy to the rearguard.
Goldson has two years left on his current deal and, at 31-years old, would still command a decent transfer fee – especially if he moved to Saudi Arabia.
He won’t want to sit on the bench next season having spent his entire time at Rangers playing every minute of every games apart from two periods out through injury.
The injuries will also be a concern with two long-term problems in the last two seasons.
In the past, Rangers have struggled to sell players at the right time.
The last two summers has seen 11 players in total walk out the door at Ibrox at the end of their respective contracts with a lot of money following them.
Goldson and Tavernier could still command good fees that could cover compensation packages for Bosman deals or pay for the likes of Damian Garcia and Thomas Galdames.
If Clement is true to his word, both could well have played their last games for Rangers.
