Rangers have been content to play a waiting game over the purchase of Kyle Lafferty, refusing to panic even when it looked as if Alfredo Morelos would be banned for the red card – now rescinded – he picked up against Aberdeen.
However, reports suggest that Steven Gerrard is beginning to look elsewhere, with Armin Hodžić one of two alternatives named as the Gers look to bolster their forward options.
What could Rangers fans expect if Hodžić did pitch up at Ibrox? We’ve taken a closer look at his story so far to find out…
Having come through at the academy of Željezničar, a club from his native Bosnia and Herzegovina, he moved to Liverpool in May 2011, underlining what a precocious talent he has.
An unfortunately timed injury meant that he had to wait over a year to even turn out for the Reds’ reserve team, and he never recovered from that false start, failing to make a senior appearance during his time at Anfield.
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Instead, he returned to former club Željezničar for two straight seasons on loan – 2012/13 and 2013/14. During that time, he rediscovered a degree of the form that first attracted Liverpool’s attention.
He bagged 19 goals in 56 appearances across all competitions back in his home country, which convinced Dinamo Zagreb to sign him on a five-year contract when his deal at Liverpool expired in 2014.
Again, he got injured as soon as he arrived – which is perhaps a potential red flag for Gerrard in terms of bringing him to Ibrox – and had to wait until February 2015 for his debut.
In his first two uninterrupted seasons in Croatia – 2015/16 and 2016/17 – he was the club’s top scorer, with 18 and 21 goals in all competitions respectively, so he clearly has a keen eye for goal when fit and confident.
That goalscoring form has also earned him international recognition. He represented his country at Under 17, Under 19 and Under 21 level before making his senior debut in May 2016, against Spain.
A striker aged just 23, who knows where the goal is, which has earned him international recognition; signing Hodžić would be a gamble, but he could prove to be a better option than Lafferty.