Rangers won’t be signing left back Kai Wagner this month as he has decided to sign a new contract with Philadelphia Union.
Rangers look to be in the market for a new left back, potentially this mont but at the very latest in the summer.
Borna Barisic is out of contract in the summer and Ridvan Yilmaz hasn’t lived up to expectations at Ibrox.
Rangers may therefore look to bring in a new first-choice left back to bolster Philippe Clement’s squad – but one option can now be ruled out.
Kai Wagner won’t be signing for Rangers
Reports ahead of the January transfer window suggested that Rangers were interested in snapping up Philadelphia Union left back Kai Wagner.
The German ace was an appealing option with his Union contract expiring at the end of 2023.
Wagner, 26, had become arguably the best left back in Major League Soccer, racking up 32 assists and seven goals in 170 appearances.
Hailed as ‘unbelievable’ by teammate Mikael Uhre, Wagner has been earning rave reviews over in the United States.
A deal to bring Wagner to Glasgow on a free transfer would have been a bargain, but that deal won’t be happening now.
That’s because The Athletic’s Tom Bogert reports that Wagner has decided to stay at Philadelphia Union after all.
Talks over a contract extension broke down weeks ago and Wagner seemed destined to move on.
A surprise on the horizon though as all parties have restarted negotiations and seemingly come to an agreement.
Wagner headed to Philadelphia in 2019 and is now ready to extend his stay for a while yet.
Rangers will have to look elsewhere for a new left back this month and a host of names have already been linked.
Fredrik Oppegard, Gijs Smal and Josh Doig are among the names mentioned in recent times and Rangers may now focus on one of them with Wagner out of the picture.
