If there has been any hope for Rangers fans this season, it’s probably come in the shape of ex-Aberdeen midfielder Connor Barron.
The Scotland U21 international faced a stand-off at Pittodrie last season with opportunities limited as negotiations over a new contract stalled.
Since coming to Rangers, the 21-year-old midfielder has been handed a glorious opportunity which Connor Barron has grabbed with both hands.
But as the young midfielder goes from strength-to-strength in Glasgow, the lingering threat of a costly tribunal hangs over Rangers as the club’s summer transfer business comes in for scrutiny.
Aberdeen prepare Connor Barron tribunal fight
It’s fair to say that Connor Barron’s move to Rangers didn’t go down too well in Aberdeen.
Having come through the Pittodrie youth ranks, it never looked likely that Barron would stay in the northeast but the Dons support never take kindly to one of their own moving to Glasgow’s Southside.
When news broke that Barron was moving to Rangers it not only irked Aberdeen supporters, but also the Pittodrie club.
Guaranteed around £525k in compensation had Barron moved out of Scotland, Aberdeen knocked back such a fee from Rangers.
As per same border compensation rules, the two clubs must agree a fee over such an end-of-contract transfer or risk the case going to tribunal.
It’s something that Aberdeen CEO Alan Burrows has claimed the Pittodrie side are fully-prepared to do.
“It’s our job to make sure we get the best value for any player that leaves and we’ll try and do that again with Connor Barron,” Burrows said in June.
“In all walks of life you would rather avoid situations where you have to go through independent tribunals.
“But if we do have to, then we will, and from that point of view we’ve had experience with these tribunals before (when Lewis Ferguson arrived from Hamilton Academical).”
Rangers brace for seven-figure midfielder payout
Rangers are said to have held off stiff competition to sign Connor Barron this summer.
With links to the English Championship and Serie A, Barron was given assurances over playing time at Ibrox and has settled in very well.
It’s not been easy, especially given Connor Barron has been forced to fill the void left by the departure of John Lundstram.
Awarded for his early Rangers form with a call-up to the Scotland squad amid a spate of drop-outs, the future is certainly bright for the kid in Glasgow.
But that progress also won’t have been missed by Aberdeen, who will be building a case for an independent tribunal with regards the player’s value.
The challenge for Rangers is to agree a deal with Aberdeen, who have made clear they will try to maximise the return on Barron after his bitter exit.
The situation comes amid major scrutiny on the Ibrox side’s penny-pinching transfer window, where Nils Koppen and Philippe Clement rebuilt the squad on a shoestring budget.
With the threat of a seven-figure payout to Aberdeen lingering, Rangers will have made contingency plans.
But for the time being it remains unclear just how much Rangers will have to compensate the Dons for a player who has arguably been the signing of the summer so far.
