Leon Belcar is a name that many Rangers fans would’ve been typing into their YouTube search bars ahead of the January transfer window.
The FK Varazdin number ten has been one of the standout players in this season’s Croatian National League and has been reportedly attracting interest from Rangers as a result.
Rangers have been linked to Leon Belcar alongside the likes of AZ Alkmaar and Club Brugge as the 23-year-old midfielder looks to follow in the footsteps of Croatia’s great midfield playmakers.
But before Belcar takes his first steps out of Croatia a la Luka Modric, everyone who’s been taking notes on the midfielder has just been sent an emphatic message about the kid’s future.
Leon Belcar linked to Rangers
Leon Belcar has told Croatian media outlet Sportske Novosti that he will be staying with Varazdin until at least the summer transfer window.
For Rangers fans hoping to see the club’s midfield reinforced in January, it’s another blow after fellow Croat target Marko Soldo was told he would not be allowed to leave Osijek this month.
But for Rangers fans looking to get a measure of Leon Belcar the professional, it’s clear the midfielder is loyal to his hometown club and wants them to profit off any future exit.
At the same time, Belcar also confirmed that there is interest in his services and refused to rule anything out.
It comes with Leon Belcar attracting interest from Ibrox as Philippe Clement and Nils Koppen set about trying to improve the club’s squad on a shoestring transfer budget this January.
Rangers target Leon Belcar to sign new contract
“The manager said that there was a lot of everything, but our plan was to definitely stay in Varaždin until the summer,” said Belcar when asked about the links to Rangers.
”The contract with Varazdin is on the table, we’re just waiting for it to be signed.
“But of course there’s interest, to write things like that. We’ll see if anything happens from that or not, but the plan is to stay until the summer of this year.
“I’ve been here since I was little, I’ve been through everything. I was a kid at Dinamo, in Zagreb, for two years, but I came back here.
“I’ve been through good and bad, and injuries. All that hard work paid off in the end.
“Of course, it’s nice to be a fan favourite now, and a local boy. It’s really nice to feel this way now that everything has come together.”
There have since been unconfirmed reports in Croatia that the contract was signed this week, with Belcar apparently tying himself to Varazdin until 2027.
