Rangers have twice been sent a reminder about their place in football’s financial pyramid this summer.
The Gers saw a public pursuit of Panamanian defender Jose Cordoba collapse when the centre-back’s club Levski Sofia raised the stakes and so did the player himself.
Moving to Norwich City instead, Rangers moved on quickly with the signing of AC Milan talent Clinton Nsiala.
Fast forward a month or so and ‘concrete’ Rangers interest in Ben Johnson also looks set to end in disappointment with the defender seemingly Ipswich Town bound.
And now, one US-backed side in the English third tier are reportedly set to flex their financial muscle amid transfer interest in one of the Gers’ highest earners.
Goldson wanted in League One
Connor Goldson has – over the piece – been a wonderful servant to Rangers.
Since being convinced to join the club by Steven Gerrard in 2018, the ex-Brighton defender has been a near ever-present stalwart at the heart of the Ibrox defence.
Now 31-years-old, all that first-team exposure has begun to catch up on Connor who suffered a season-ending injury at the end the last campaign.
There has been plenty of speculation around the defender’s future with links to Saudi Arabia and sweeping change coming to Ibrox this summer.
Salary Sport claim Goldson is the club’s highest earner on a whopping £37k per week and previously it was thought only a lucrative offer from the Middle East could shift him.
But now – at least according to the Scottish Sun – the Blues have identified the Rangers centre-half as they look to bounce back to the English Championship at the first time of asking.
Now managed by ex-Celtic coach Chris Davies, the St Andrews club is bankrolled by billionaire American hedge-fund manager Tom Wagner and the aptly-named Shelby Companies Limited.
The group includes investment from the likes of NFL legend Tom Brady and oversaw the disastrous appointment of Wayne Rooney last season.
If there is anyone in English League One who could afford to take on Goldson’s significant Ibrox pay-packet, it’s the Birmingham outfit.
Birmingham close in on defender deal
Rangers certainly are at a crossroads this summer with the club’s leadership group under increasing scrutiny.
Borna Barisic, Ryan Jack, John Lundstram and Kemar Roofe have all left the building at the end of their contracts whilst there are major question marks over Connor Goldson and James Tavernier.
But before Rangers fans get too carried away with these Birmingham links to the Ibrox vice-captain, there are reports that the St Andrews side are targeting another option at centre-back.
According to De Telegraaf in the Netherlands, the Blues have agreed a €2.5m (£2.1m) deal for Sparta Rotterdam centre-back Mike Eerdhuijzen.
The deal for the 23-year-old centre-back is reportedly some way down the line so it does cast some doubt over those links to Connor Goldson.
That said, with club captain and Rangers-linked defender Dion Sanderson Birmingham’s only real first-choice centre-back option, perhaps the Blues are targeting multiple recruits.
Should Birmingham make their reported interest in Connor Goldson legitimate, there could also be something of a Rangers reunion in English League One next season.
Ex-Gers midfielder Juninho Bacuna – who is a former Goldson teammate – is part of the Blues squad which was relegated from the Championship last season.
