Rangers have door wide open to seal late Ross Barkley move after Chelsea release
Ross Barkley’s sudden release from Chelsea by mutual consent leaves the door wide open for Rangers to sign him, but they should be cautious.
The English Premier League side confirmed on Monday afternoon that the former England international had left the club, hours after Alan Nixon had reported that the Gers were looking into a move to sign him.
He is now available to sign on a free transfer anywhere who wants him, but having just left a contract that reportedly paid him £200,000-a-week his wage demands are likely to be hefty.
Bearing in mind the way the Aaron Ramsey loan move didn’t pan out last season the club would be wise to consider whether Barkley would actually be the right player for them.
He remains the last Chelsea attacker to actually score for the club after his strike on the final day of last season, but that was a cameo appearance in a meaningless game at a club where he had otherwise fallen out of favour entirely, as evidenced by his exit from Stamford Bridge with two years left on his contract.
Plenty of clubs have been linked with a move for the 28-year-old this summer yet clearly none of them were willing to offer Todd Boehly anything to do a deal.
A loan move to Aston Villa in the 2020/21 season also flopped after a promising start so the Gers cannot be blinded by name recognition, or the fact it is billionaire-backed Chelsea he is leaving.
If the club choose to pursue a deal now that he is available to sign immediately for nothing then they can only do so on their terms.
If Giovanni van Bronckhorst is confident he can work in his systems and contact with the player gives him a positive reaction then it may be one that works out, but rushing to the front of the queue to offer the best wages just because he is suddenly available risks making a big mistake.
He has international and Champions League experience, which would be a bonus now that the club are finally back in the group stages after so long away, but the deal needs to be cost-effective to avoid the club ending up lumbered with an expensive player in the same way Chelsea was.
In other Rangers news, Michael Beale has made his feelings clear on the futures of Ryan Kent and Alfredo Morelos.