Rangers player to be 'released' as European club close in on Ibrox star transfer

A Rangers player could soon be leaving the Ibrox Stadium - Croatian international Borna Barisic is 'very close' to finalising a move to Trabzonspor, which will become official when the summer transfer window opens its doors.

This is according to a post on X (formerly Twitter) from Sabah Spor, who note that Trabzonspor's last effort to bring Barisic on board ended in failure - it could be a different story this time around, though.

Their post on X reads (translated from Turkish): "The 31-year-old Croatian left-back, who was previously on Trabzonspor's radar but whose transfer was unsuccessful, is very close to Trabzonspor this time."

Barisic has been at Rangers since the summer of 2018 - since then, the 31-year-old has made 138 Scottish Premiership appearances for the Light Blues, scoring four goals. With his current contract set to expire in May and with no new deal on the horizon, his time in Glasgow seems limited at this stage.

Should Rangers allow Borna Barisic to leave the club?

Barisic has long been touted for an Ibrox exit, but this does not mean he doesn't have anything to offer for the Light Blues. At the age of 31, he isn't getting any younger, but he is nonetheless a talented, well-rounded full back.

So far this season, in the Scottish Premiership, Barisic has made 15 appearances and has notched up three assists along the way. He has been prone to the occasional poor performance, however - notably, during the Gers' narrow 2-1 win over Kilmarnock - but he still has plenty to offer (for the rest of this season, at least).

Nevertheless, it seems like the right time to allow him to leave. It is never ideal to lose a player on a free transfer, but Barisic is beyond his best years - it makes little sense to offer him a new contract.