Borna Barisic says he turned down ‘serious options’ in favour of signing a contract extension with Rangers in January, as quoted by the Daily Record.
Steven Gerrard confirmed during the winter that Italian giants Roma had registered their interest in the defender [Glasgow Times].
It seems they were one of several clubs circling, but Barisic turned down a move in favour of remaining in the Scottish Premiership, signing a contract extension until 2024 [Rangers.co.uk].
“The truth is there were serious options for me, but my club acted immediately and in February, as soon as the transfer deadline ended, I signed a new contract with Rangers for four years,” he said, as quoted by the Daily Record.
“I’m very satisfied at Rangers. It’s great and I have a wonderful relationship with my manager, teammates, club and the fans. I enjoy it and I have nothing to complain about.”
The Croatian international went on to say that he would like to move to a higher level eventually but that he still sees plenty of opportunities to develop further at Ibrox.
Verdict
During his first season at Rangers, Barisic struggled with injuries and a lack of confidence and largely failed to make an impression.
His second campaign could scarcely have been more of a contrast, with his superb form in the Europa League, in particular, alerting big name clubs to his abilities.
Given that there was concrete interest from elsewhere, it was an excellent piece of business to tie him down to a new deal.
The 27-year-old is a crucial part of the squad in the short-term and the length of the contract should ensure that when clubs come calling in the future, they’ll have to cough up a sizeable fee.
Barisic was due to take part in Euro 2020 with Croatia this summer but will now have to wait until 2021 for his first taste of a major tournament, while it’s as yet uncertain when he’ll return to club duties.
