Former Rangers midfielder Alex Rae believes John Lundstram, Borna Barisic and Glen Kamara should be sold unless Mick Beale plans to offer the trio a new contract at Ibrox.
Rangers have already lost Ryan Kent, Alfredo Morelos, Allan McGregor, Scott Arfield and Filip Helander this year; all five departing when their contracts officially expire at the end of this month.
It’s a rather damning indictment of the club’s long-term planning – or a lack thereof – that the Glasgow giants are facing up to a similar scenario in just 12 months’ time.
John Lundstram and Borna Barisic are out of contract in 2024, alongside Kemar Roofe and Ryan Jack. Glen Kamara, meanwhile, has just two years left on his own deal.
And former Ibrox midfielder Alex Rae hopes that lessons have been learned, telling the Sunday Post that Rangers must avoid a repeat of this summer by acting quickly and decisively as they look to avoid losing yet more first-team players for absolutely nothing.
Will yet more senior stars leave Rangers?
“I think the club should make decisions with the futures of John, Glen and Borna,” Rae argues. “Are they going to be offered new deals or moved on?
“Lessons need to be learned from what happened with Ryan Kent and Alfredo Morelos. Letting players go into the final year of their deals is not the way to do it.”
Hypothetically speaking, if Rangers had sold Morelos, Kent and Helander back in 2021 – when their reputations were at their most lofty following that Scottish Premiership title win – one presumes Steven Gerrard would have been rewarded with a windfall in the region of £40 million.
With Ridvan Yilmaz catching the eye during the final few weeks of this season – and with Rangers reportedly keen on Lausanne Sport left-back Archie Brown – Beale at least appears to be laying the foundations for life after 30-year-old Barisic.
The Gers boss also indicated last week that Kamara’s time at Ibrox may be coming to an end.
“For Glen, everything is open really,” Beale tells The Sun. “He is either going to be here for a considerable future or we will probably sell him this summer.
“I think he needs to look at the competition that’s here in pre-season and decide whether there is going to be enough football for him. It’s not my sole decision.
“It’s the decision of the board and everyone in between to make sure we make Rangers stronger and take us in a positive direction over the next three to five years.
“Who are going to be the main players in that? We spoke about the boys the other night and Glen and one or two others have been the bedrock of a championship-winning team and a team that went to a European final.
“It’s now important that we rebuild another team.”
