This is a Rangers transfer saga that has seemingly been around since the dawn of time.
OK, maybe not quite that long. You won’t find any ancient cave paintings of Kenny McLean wearing the royal blue of the Glasgow giants.
But you can certainly trace it back to the summer of 2017. When Pedro Caixinha was in the Ibrox dugout and Rangers, via the Glasgow Evening Times, were hot on the heels of a young midfielder who had outgrown the Pittodrie pond at Aberdeen.
The report said that Rangers submitted a bid. One Aberdeen rejected before selling McLean to Norwich City for a cut-price fee of just £300,000 twelve months later.
Seven years on, is this most long-running saga finally coming to an end? Will McLean jump at the chance to finally join his ‘boyhood club’, per The Athletic? A Rangers side who he may feel he’s got unfinished business with after spending some time with the club’s academy as a youngster but without ever making a first-team appearance.
Rangers back in for Norwich City’s Kenny McLean
Carlton Palmer, the former England international, is not surprised to see 32-year-old McLean emerge as a target during a summer in which Rangers have lost the experience of Ryan Jack and John Lundstram.
“There is a major revamp going on at Glasgow Rangers this summer to make them competitive for next season,” Palmer tells Football League World.
“They’ve released a load of experienced players from the football club, and they have signed a lot of young players. So they are looking to bring in an experienced midfield player.”
According to Anglian publication the Pink ‘Un, one issue facing Rangers is that Norwich will demand a considerable sum with two years left on McLean’s contract.
Per Sky Sports, Leeds United saw a £4 million bid rejected last summer.
Palmer feels that Norwich will consider offers given McLean’s age but insists that another ‘stumbling block’ could be the size of McLean’s wages.
Will Scotland international be too expensive?
“Norwich City do not want to sell McLean. But with the player being 32 years of age, if the right offer comes in, I don’t believe they’ll stand in his way,” adds the former Leeds United, Southampton and West Brom midfielder.
“The stumbling block will be his reported £30,000 a week salary. Rangers would be reluctant to pay that sort of money to the player, but we’ll have to see.
“They’ve got to strike a balance between having young talent and senior professionals who can be relied on as mentors for the young crop in that group.
“And they see Kenny McLean falling into that category.”
Rangers have lost two 30-something year olds in Jack and Lundstram. In their place, so far, has come 21-year-old Connor Barron, another to make the trip from Aberdeen to Rangers. Barron was confirmed as a Gers player over the weekend, even if a fee is yet to be agreed with the out-of-contract enforcer.
The sight of the Scotland Under 21 international following in the footsteps of Jack and Scott Wright has not gone down well at Pittodrie either, Dons legend Willie Miller one of those wishing his story had ended a little differently.
Connor Barron arrives
“Aberdeen will be disappointed they did not get much first-team payback for all the years they spent developing Connor Barron,” Miller tells the Press and Journal.
“Aberdeen will be hurting a player they developed from a very young age did not stick around to get more game-time with the first team.
“Barron is a very talented player,” Miller argues. “But I would suggest it will be tough for him to cement a place in that Rangers team. So we are going to have to wait and see if signing for Rangers proves the right career move for Barron.
“There is also a rivalry between Aberdeen and Rangers. So I’m sure Dons fans will be unhappy he has moved to Ibrox.
“The best outcome for Aberdeen was if Barron signed for a club in England or overseas. You do not want a player you have spent years developing to then move to one of your main rivals.
“Barron views Rangers as the next step in his career and Aberdeen just have to accept that.
It came as no surprise that Barron left Aberdeen. as it was pretty obvious for a while he viewed his future away from Pittodrie.”
