Philippe Clement's Rangers summer clearout continues as £3m defender seals Birmingham City loan transfer

Rangers defender Ben Davies has left the club to head back down south after joining English League One side Birmingham City on a season-long loan deal.

The former Liverpool and Preston centre-back was told by manager Philippe Clement that he was free to leave this summer as the Belgian looks to freshen up his squad. Despite that, the 29-year-old was still given the nod to start the Ibrox side’s Premiership opener against Hearts at Tynecastle earlier this month and made two appearances from off the bench against Dynamo Kyiv and St Johnstone in recent weeks.

However, Davies has now opted for a return to England after completing a temporary move to St Andrew’s, where he becomes boss Chris Davies’ 13th summer acquisition. The Blues have made a solid start to life in the third tier following relegations from the Championship last term, securing seven points out of a possible nine from their first three league games.

Signed by Giovanni van Bronckhorst in the summer of 2022, Davies agreed a four-year contract with the Light Blues after quitting Anfield without making a first-team appearances in a deal worth around £3m rising to £4m. However, he has struggled to nail down a regular starting berth under previous gaffer Michael Beale and Clement.

He departs the Govan giants after playing 58 times to date, but will head back north of the border next summer with the deal only a straight loan agreement rather than it containing an option-to-buy as previously reported. A club statement read: “#RangersFC can confirm defender Ben Davies has joined @BCFC on loan until the end of the season subject to international clearance. Everyone at Rangers wishes Ben well for the campaign.”

The move to the Midlands will allow Davies a better opportunity to gain more regular action. A Birmingham statement added: “A vastly experienced EFL campaigner, the two most recent years of his career have been spent north of the border, challenging for silverware, and last December he helped his parent club win the Scottish League Cup.

“Previous to these efforts, the centre-back recorded 246 appearances across the second, third and fourth divisions of English football. Davies, between youth and professional football, was at Preston North End for 15 years, initially cutting his teeth in the senior game through a series of five loan moves between 2013 and 2017. He then set about cementing himself in the Preston first team and was their 2017/18 Young Player of the Year, going on to win the Players' Player Award 12 months later

“His diligent performances earned him a transfer to Liverpool in 2021 ahead of helping Sheffield United to reach the second-tier play-offs during a temporary switch to South Yorkshire. Ibrox came calling in the summer of 2022, with his time in Glasgow, to date, featuring game time in both the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League.”