Clement will be angry when a third Rangers player offers to leave Ibrox.
Rangers captain James Tavernier has received an official offer to relocate to Saudi Arabia and rejoin with Steven Gerrard, according to Slaati. According to the Saudi news outlet’s website (7 April), Gerrard has persuaded Al Ettifaq management to make an offer to move the right-back away from Ibrox this summer.
The club has now made an official offer to the 32-year-old, and with Philippe Clement and the board planning a “mini-revolution” at Ibrox during the summer transfer window, it is unclear how he will react to the offer. Clement will be fuming about new Rangers transfer developments. With Al Ettifaq’s move for Tavernier, three Ibrox stars appear to be on the verge of leaving before the season even ends.
Borna Barisic is claimed to be “very close” to a free move to Turkish club Trabzonspor once his contract ends, while the same club also wants to sign John Lundstram, with sources indicating they have agreed on a deal despite Clement’s evident desire to keep him.
The manager will undoubtedly be enraged at the idea of his squad being split against his desires, and the team may suffer a setback. A title push has sprung out of nowhere this season since his appointment, and the manager needs to be supported to take the club ahead, rather than trying to maintain the existing level.
Losing Barisic will be difficult, but with Ridvan Yilmaz, Dujon Sterling, and Jefte on the way, the team should be able to cope.
Lundstram’s departure is arguably not a bad thing, given his age and the expected salaries he will want, but it is clearly not what the boss wants. But, on top of that, losing the team’s captain and talisman would be a disastrous start to the summer, and Rangers will need to make up a lot of ground in the transfer window simply to stay afloat.