Jordan Campbell of The Athletic has suggested that there could soon be a development on Rangers winger Brandon Barker’s future, despite the transfer window closing on Tuesday night.
Barker joined the Gers from Man City in 2019 but has never really settled at Ibrox.
The 24-year-old has only made 26 appearances for the club, scoring three goals and failing to notch an assist.
He spent the second half of last season on loan at EFL League One side Oxford United and did relatively well, but despite featuring for the Gers in pre-season, he hasn’t made any of Steven Gerrard’s matchday squads since the 2021/22 campaign began.
On Tuesday morning, Football Insider reported that Barker had been told he was free to leave Ibrox and then in the afternoon, Alan Nixon of The Sun claimed that there was late transfer interest in the winger from ‘unexpected quarters’.
Yet, the window closed on Tuesday night with the former England youth international still at the club.
However, responding to a fan query on Twitter about Barker’s situation, Campbell has suggested that the matter isn’t closed.
“Difficult to move him on a permanent given wages, as has been the case with many players in recent years,” he replied. “Been told something may be happening on him soon though.”
What will happen with Barker?
When a transfer deadline passes with a player still at a club, that usually means he’ll be on the books until at least the beginning of the following window.
However, Campbell has suggested something else could be in the pipeline here.
A mutual termination of Barker’s contract is a possibility if the player is unhappy with his lack of first-team involvement and Rangers would rather reduce their wage bill than keep him on board as a backup.
There have been several examples of contract terminations in recent years, with Carlos Pena, Kyle Lafferty and Joe Dodoo all leaving Ibrox in that fashion.
Barker has entered the final year of his three-year Rangers deal and it will be interesting to see what happens next.
In other transfer news, a former Rangers fan favourite has returned to British football following an impressive stint at Euro top-flight club.
