Philippe Clement has been repeatedly clear that Rangers will need to sell before they can buy this transfer window.
The Belgian manager has at times cut a frustrated figure as he tries to revamp his Ibrox squad on a shoestring budget with every penny a prisoner in Govan.
Speaking at the weekend, Clement was once again clear that Rangers will need to ship players out of the club before they could move on any of their other targets.
The problem – as Clement himself said – is that he ‘cannot hold a gun’ to the heads of those players who’ve been told they can leave Rangers.
Now, leading Scottish football journalist Chris Jack has claimed that there are at least five players that Rangers are willing to move on this summer.
Rangers ‘open to five outgoings’
Writing in the Rangers Review, Chris Jack has been discussing the state of play with regards outgoings in the Rangers squad.
Discussing the tectonic transfer plates that need to shift under Ibrox before the club can stump up for any new signings, Jack namedrops five players as being up for sale.
Heading the list is Romanian international playmaker Ianis Hagi, who was told at the beginning of the summer that he was not part of Clement’s plans.
Having spent last season on loan at Alavés in La Liga, there’s been a suggestion Rangers could sell Hagi for nothing to free up space on the wage bill.
Hagi continues to play for the Rangers B team but as things stand it remains unclear just how close the Euro 2024 star is to negotiating his exit from Ibrox.
Wantaway playmaker Todd Cantwell is also mentioned, the Englishman having told Clement that he wants to move on this summer.
Rangers fans will hope to see that happen sooner rather than later.
The other three names mentioned by Chris Jack are Rabbi Matondo, Ben Davies and Scott Wright.
Leeds United links to Rabbi Matondo were shot down as quickly as they appeared whilst Ben Davies is pound-for-pound one of the most disappointing signings in Rangers history.
Scott Wright, although a homegrown option in the squad, is the final year of his contract and has been repeatedly ‘offered’ to the English lower leagues.
Rangers transfer window still wide open
That these five names could still leave Rangers before the end of the transfer window shows not only the depth of change at Ibrox this summer.
But also the scale of the squad’s shortcomings in recent seasons.
There has been chronic mismanagement of Rangers’ finances and the club’s operations in the transfer market continue to come under immense scrutiny.
Rangers legend Ally McCoist claims he is ‘genuinely devastated’ by the mess the Ibrox club find themselves in this summer.
Rangers have already let go a number of previously key first-team stars including John Lundstram, Borna Barisic, Connor Goldson, Ryan Jack and Kemar Roofe.
It’s a sweeping summer of change a long-time coming as Rangers look to rebuild from the ashes of the last few seasons.
Let’s just hope we can move these guys out of the club so we can strike deals for those players Clement has identified ahead of the new campaign.
