Rangers have confirmed the latest Ibrox exit of the summer as fan favourite Nikola Katic officially returns to Croatia and signs a loan deal with Hadjuk Split.
News of Katic’s imminent return to the Balkans broke earlier this afternoon and the club made it official with Rangers withholding the right to recall the 24-year-old in January.
The loan move comes after Katic spent the whole of last season on the treatment table following an agonising cruciate ligament injury with minutes required to get the player back to full fitness.
Having joined Rangers in a £2m deal back in 2018 from Croatian side Slaven Bepulo, a return to the division where he made his name should herald just that.
“Nikola Katic has today joined Croatian side Hajduk Split on a season-long loan,” reads a Rangers statement.
“Rangers will retain a recall option for January on the central defender, who has made 59 appearances and scored six goals in his time at the club thus far.
“Everyone at Rangers wishes Niko well for his loan spell as he works his way back following a difficult year on the sidelines.”
The departure of Katic until at least January also means that Steven Gerrard has stuck true to his word regarding the wealth of options he had centre back at the beginning of the summer.
Katic’s exit was preceded by that of English defender George Edmundson, who joined Ipswich Town, and the Gers now have four first team defenders ahead of the season.
These are Connor Goldson, Filip Helander, Leon Balogun and Jack Simpson, with Gerrard previously promising that there would not be six centre-backs at the club come the end of the window.
“We have six centre backs at the moment but that won’t be the case in the summer,” said Gerrard [Glasgow Times].
Everyone at Rangers will be watching Niko’s progress closely as he looks to get back up to fitness in the Balkans.
The Ibrox Gaffer has also previously batted back against claims which suggested the defender was set to leave Rangers permanently this summer as the player nailed his colours to the mast.
