Kenny Miller says Rangers could sell Borna Barisic this summer
Kenny Miller has suggested on The Sunday Mail that Rangers defender Borna Barisic could leave Ibrox, and the club could agree to offload him if the money is right.
Barisic has been strongly linked with a move away from Ibrox, with The Sun reporting on their live blog on 15 June (04:26pm) that the Turkish champions are closing in on a deal for him.
Football Scotland previously reported on 10 June that the Bears want £4 million for the left-back. Miller feels it would be a good business if Rangers can sell him for a profit.
The club legend adds that the move depends on the future of Calvin Bassey as the Gers are unlikely to sell two of their quality defenders in one window.
“For a few years now there has been speculation about him mainly due to the club’s performances in Europe,” wrote Miller for The Sunday Mail (printed edition, 19 June, page 70).
“But the emergence of Calvin Bassey might be the deciding factor in this. He’s a natural left-back, make no mistake about it.
“I’m sure he wants to play there because he enjoys it more at left-back or wing-back than he does at centre-half.
“You could see him being first choice in that position going into the new season. So in Barisic’s mind he might say: “I don’t want to play second fiddle”. That could lead to him moving on.
“He’ll definitely have options and if the money is right it might be a good deal for the club. They signed him four years ago, he has performed well and now they could sell for a profit.”
Let him go
If there’s a good offer on the table, the Gers should let Barisic leave the club.
The left-back struggled for consistency in 2021-22, and was dreadful against Celtic at Parkhead in February.
He ended the campaign strongly, however, producing some fantastic displays in the Europa League.
Barisic is a brilliant player to watch when he is on a song. He is very strong going forward, and he is capable of delivering some fantastic crosses.
However, he is not a reliable defender at the back. He is error-prone and there is a feeling that he’s going backwards.
The Croatian would love to play regularly next season, and he might look to jump the ship if there’s a good offer on the table.
Barisic has a contract until 2024, but Rangers need to make a strong call here. He will turn 30 before the end of the year, and this is probably the best time to sell him.
In other Rangers news, the club are ‘not convinced’ by a key first-team player and an early termination of his contract is extremely likely.