Rangers player 'offered' contract at Scottish club as post Ibrox life looms this summer transfer window
The Ibrox loanee looks to be extending his stay elsewhere
Rangers defender Leon King has been ‘offered’ a new contract at Ayr United following a successful loan spell.
After being farmed out to Queen’s Park last season, the 22-year old was signed on a season-long loan deal by manager Scott Brown, who has since been sacked. Despite a difficult season for the Honest Men, King has been a mainstay at the back, making 32 appearances in all competitions and scoring twice. At Ibrox, he’s enjoyed a few runs in the squad sporadically but was never able to cement his place in the starting XI, leading to the short-term switches.
John Rankin took over interim duties from Brown after the former Celtic captain was dismissed in March. After a strong start to the season, Ayr were vying for the play-off places but a dip in form midway through the season saw them slowly slide down the Scottish Championship, where they eventually finished seventh. Despite this, King has been a standout performer and won their Player of the Year award for this campaign.
King ‘offered’ new contract at Ayr
As the club confirm via their website who is staying and going ahead of the 2026/27 season, King is under the ‘returning loans’ section but also under ‘contract offered’ alongside captain Ben Dempsey and forward Anton Dowds. Former Rangers winger Jamie Murphy is also expected to stay at the club as he’s under contract. With King playing regularly in the second tier, it is a move that could further aid his development.
At Rangers, he made his debut aged 16 and looked a very bright prospect from a young age. Under Giovanni van Bronckhorst, he featured in every match of Rangers’ Champions League campaign in 2022. Playing against the likes of Liverpool winger Mo Salah and then-Napoli superstar Khvicha Kvaratskhelia perhaps came too early in the career of King as Rangers recorded one of the worst ever defensive records the competition has seen, however it does mean he’s had valuable experience at the highest level.
Rangers loanee on new contract speculation
Speaking to the Ayrshire Post last week, King claimed his loan spell at Somerset Park has gone according to plan and wasn’t willing to rule out a more permanent move. He said: “This is what I needed – to go out and play consistently this season. The constant challenge of having to earn a spot in the team each week has been massive for me.
“I’m without a contract now so we’ll see what my future holds. But I’m definitely not shutting the door on staying here. I’ve loved it. The club has given me an opportunity to go and showcase what I’ve got and I’ll be forever grateful for that. So if something is on the table that is good for my future then I’ll look at it seriously.”
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