Oli McBurnie looks unlikely to head to Rangers any time soon with Sheffield United poised to extend his contract.
The Gers simply have to sign at least one striker this summer with Alfredo Morelos set to leave on a free transfer.
Yet when you add in the injury problems for Antonio Colak and Kemar Roofe, Rangers may need even more attackers.
One name regularly touted for a move to Rangers is McBurnie.
Reports from the Daily Mail in the summer of 2021 suggested that Rangers were plotting a club-record bid for McBurnie.
The move never materialised though as Rangers failed to build on their title win.
The Scotland international is a boyhood Rangers fan and has never hidden his allegiance to the club.
McBurnie told Open Goal in 2020 that he regularly goes to watch Rangers games and we can’t imagine that has changed.
Fans have been asking McBurnie to join Rangers for years and it felt like this summer could be the right time.
Rangers need a striker or two and McBurnie was coming to the end of his contract with Sheffield United.
However, McBurnie has fared well for the Blades this season, bagging 12 goals and two assists in 36 Championship games.
That has helped Sheffield United secure promotion back to the Premier League – and McBurnie looks set to stay put.
The Sun report that Sheffield United will activate a one-year option in McBurnie’s contract, keeping him for next season.
That will effectively rule out any prospect of McBurnie heading to Rangers this summer.
Sheffield United paid £20million to sign McBurnie from Swansea City in 2019 and would expect a decent sum back if they were to sell after this contract extension.
Rangers are unlikely to be in that kind of market this summer and means another transfer window where ideas of McBurnie to Rangers can be ignored.
There is still time for the 26-year-old to make the move to Ibrox, but it is starting to feel like it may never happen.
