£2.5m Rangers transfer target receives glowing endorsement by ex Ibrox star but move could spell end for 1 attacker
The Ibrox club are looking for bargain buys when the January transfer window opens
Borna Barisic has reportedly urged former club Rangers to pursue a January move for NK Osijek star Marko Soldo after recommending his fellow countryman to Ibrox officials.
It was revealed earlier this month that the Light Blues were eyeing a potential swoop for the defensive midfielder after impressing in the Croatian top-flight this season. Manager Philippe Clement and director of recruitment Nils Koppen are searching for bargain buys in the winter transfer window and have been keeping a close eye on the versatile 21-year-old.
The Daily Mail report that Koppen is a big admirer of the £2.5million-rated star with “a bid in January looking increasingly likely.” They also suggest Soldo has been given a glowing appraisal by ex-Gers defender Barisic, who started out his career with hometown team Osijek.
Croatian outlet Germanijak insist Rangers would be signing an ‘extremely powerful’ player, stating: “He can be in charge of defensive stability, for creation, or to have the role of a box-to-box midfielder, who is powerful in running, attacks the space in the attacking phase.
“The way he was used in the Croatian U21 national team, where coach Ivica Olic asked him to be a player responsible for creating and dictating the tempo. This is definitely not a context that suits him. Soldo is a modern midfielder who can be found all over the field and who is clearly good at positions that are not his natural. And that says enough about the character trait he carries within himself and his ability to adapt. He is also extremely powerful and versatile physically.”
It’s also claimed that Barisic, who left Rangers upon the expiry of his contract for Turkish outfit Trabzonspor last summer, is a big fan of Soldo and has put his name forward to the Ibrox decision-makers.
While Soldo would be capable of filling a more defensive void, an additional attacking option is also on the club’s transfer agenda, which could spell the end of Alex Lowry’s Rangers career.
The 21-year-old has not made a first-team appearance since December 2023 and has been consigned to the B-team this term. His days in Govan now look numbered, with the creative midfielder out of contract at the end of the season and appearing unlikely to earn a recall to Clement’s senior squad.
There was interest in Lowry’s services last summer with EFL League Two side Carlisle United falling short in their efforts to lure him across the border and various reports suggest his time at Rangers “looks to be done” after he was absent from the B squad that defeated Celtic 3-2 to win the Glasgow Cup earlier this week.