Ex-Rangers manager Steven Gerrard was known to be a big fan of Scotland striker Kevin Nisbet.
As the Liverpool legend toiled with the Ibrox boardroom over his post-55 budget, the then Hibs striker was earmarked as a leading Rangers target.
A potent and intelligent penalty box striker at his best, in 2021 Gerrard had viewed Nisbet as an extra piece of the Ibrox arsenal as the club looked to retain their Scottish Premiership title.
It was interest that was simmering for a while; Rangers and Gerrard had even been linked to Nisbet during his time with Dunfermline.
The sticking point? According to reports at the time, Rangers would have to pay £4m to bring Nisbet to Glasgow.
Fast forward to the February of 2022 and Nisbet was sidelined for ten months after sustaining a serious ACL injury, the problem interrupting the striker at a crucial moment of his career.
A subsequent move to Millwall happened last summer with the Championship club reportedly paying around £2m for his services.
Two years on from Rangers’ pursuit and one year on from the move to England, the now 27-year-old could be set to return to Scotland.
And if a deal is complete Nisbet could yet come back to haunt the Ibrox club this season.
Nisbet wanted in Premiership
It hasn’t really happened for Kevin Nisbet south of the border.
As is commonly the case for players up north who make the switch, things just haven’t gone to plan for a forward who was once staking a claim for a regular place in Steve Clarke’s Scotland squad.
That ACL injury at Hibs really impacted Nisbet, who has suffered from a series of niggles ever since, including a serious hamstring injury.
But the striker also had a very public falling out with Millwall manager Neil Harris which saw him banished from the club’s squad last season.
Playing 29 times and scoring five times for the Lions in 23/24, this campaign the striker looks to be on the move again with the Scottish Premiership a potential destination.
According to the Scottish Sun, Aberdeen are mulling over a move for Kevin Nisbet this summer as they look to strengthen their attack.
The Dons have just sold star striker Bojan Miovski to Spanish Champions League hopefuls Girona for a £6.8m fee this summer.
Having already added Finnish attacker Topi Keskinen to their ranks from HJK Helsinki, it’s claimed the Dons are hoping to strike a suitable deal for Nisbet.
With Nisbet’s wages a potential stumbling block, the deal is anything but complete although the links will turn heads up north.
Rangers face striker transfer dilemma
Rangers have their own issues in the final third and not a lot of cash to try and resolve them.
Philippe Clement has been routinely clear about the club’s transfer limitations with the Gers trying to shift as many as five players from the club’s bloated wage bill.
The days of Steven Gerrard are long gone and so do we suspect are those of Kevin Nisbet when it comes to Rangers, but this is a player who might’ve wound up at Ibrox had the dice landed differently.
Nisbet is also a very dangerous player with a lot of qualities and given the bruising battles with Aberdeen that Rangers have on the horizon, the striker would represent a solid addition for our northeast rivals.
There’s a reason why Rangers News tripped Nisbet as a solution to the club’s problems in the final third.
Rangers meanwhile continue to train up Hamza Igamane as the club’s first choice striker pair Cyriel Dessers and Danilo build form and fitness.
Whilst fans want to see more quality in terms of Rangers’ finishing, the striker berth doesn’t appear to be a priority position with other areas of the squad in more immediate need of reinforcements.
