£4.7m James Sands decision now uncertain as Rangers ready Leon King announcement
Leon King has agreed on a two-year contract extension at Rangers – and that could have thrown up some doubt over whether to sign James Sands permanently.
The Guardian’s Fabrizio Romano revealed (via Twitter, 12 December) that King wishes to extend his current deal, which was due to run until 2024. It’s understood King was also being tracked by some of the “top” clubs in England.
However, the 18-year-old has since committed his future to the Gers, with Michael Beale likely to make the defender one of his mainstays at the heart of the Light Blues’ defence. However, this news could well have an impact on whether the Gers decide to sign Sands permanently once his 18-month loan deal comes to a close.
The 22-year-old joined Rangers in January 2022 and has been a solid performer over the course of the last year. However, it’s understood it would cost Rangers £4.7million to sign the defender permanently (The Guardian’s Tom Bogert, via Twitter, 7 June).
In the summer there was an expectation that Rangers were keen to activate the buy option in Sands’ contract, however, after extending King’s stay and Beale being appointed, a different approach could well be taken by the decision makers at Ibrox.
John Souttar will be effectively a new signing when he does return and Ben Davies will also fancy his chances of making an impact in the coming weeks and months. There’s also Connor Goldson, who will be one of the Gers’ first-choice central defenders.
Considering the options Beale has at his disposal defensively, it’s unlikely the Rangers boss will want to use up £4.7million of his current budget on a solid squad player.
King had to be a priority for the club, and if it means Sands cannot be acquired permanently, then so be it.
In other Rangers news, Michael Beale has outlined his desire to sign Malik Tillman on a permanent basis.