Malmö star who dumped Rangers catches eye; reports of £2.5m valuation

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As Rangers crashed out of the Champions League to Swedish Champions Malmö FF, the performance of striker Antonio Čolak certainly caught the eye.

The big Croatian scored a deadly double to dump a desperate Rangers side who struggled to cope with the striker’s movement, power and ruthlessness.

Away from just scoring the two goals which consign the Gers to a tricky Europa League Playoff in either Armenia or Kazakhstan, Čolak led the 10-men of Malmö expertly.

Despite being isolated up front the Croat international was a constant menace for the Rangers defence, holding the play up and showing an eagerness to work on and off the ball.

Čolak’s performance won’t have been been missed by Gers fans with many willing their side to keep one eye on the player and perhaps pull a Borna Barisic.

One of Rangers’ resident Croatian stars, Barisic was signed from NK Osijek after the Gers dumped the HNL.1 side from the Europa League qualifiers in 2018.

Whilst the outcome of the clash with Čolak’s Malmö was decidedly different, it won’t stop some Rangers urging the club to consider a move for the 27-year-old striker.

And not without good reason.

The Croatian striker – who has a solitary cap for the national team – has struggled to find a home in his career thus far with his early years defined by loan moves around Germany and Poland.

But after a successful few seasons back home with Rijeka – where Čolak netted 51 goals in 90 games – the striker earned a €3m move to Greek side PAOK [Gazzetta].

Čolak struggled in his first season in Greece and for this campaign, signed a loan deal with Swedish Champions Malmö where the striker has helped take them to the next level.

So far in his career in Sweden the striker has 12 goals in 18 games – including five in six Champions League qualification matches.

According to reports in Greece, Malmo don’t want to pay the €3m (£2.5m) it would cost to sign the player permanently.

The striker may well have put Rangers to the sword but should Čolak’s rise at Malmö halt at the Champions League Playoff stage, perhaps he’s also caught the attention of the Gers recruitment team.

Rangers fans remain bitterly disappointed after defeat to Malmo and have begun to question why Steven Gerrard persists with a player they believe isn’t fully fit.