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Rangers ready 'big outlay' to sign Freddie Woodman with Allan McGregor on his way out - pundit
We’re delighted to welcome Tam McManus as our exclusive Rangers columnist as each week he’ll be giving his views on the biggest talking points at Ibrox…
Rangers need to be absolutely sure Freddie Woodman is the right goalkeeper for them if they were to spend millions of pounds on him, according to Tam McManus.
The Scottish Sun reported on 1 March that Michael Beale is readying a £3.5million swoop to sign the 26-year-old Preston number one, who’s been watched by Ibrox scouts in the English Championship this season.
It is understood that the Light Blues are on the hunt for a new shot-stopper with Allan McGregor widely expected to retire at the end of the season when his Ibrox contract expires.
McManus believes that if the Gers were to sign Woodman, it’ll have to be a long-term commitment due to the money that would be involved in the deal.
“That’s a lot of money for a goalkeeper,” McManus told Ibrox News.
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“When you’re in Rangers’ situation, I know the goalkeeper is important, but they need to be very certain.
“I don’t think Rangers have got a big pot of money for the summer so £3.5million on a goalie is a big outlay.
“Allan McGregor has been a fantastic goalkeeper at Ibrox, he’s probably in the top three of all time there. But I think he’ll retire in the summer and I’m not convinced Jon McLaughlin is a number one.
“He might be a good backup so I think if Rangers are absolutely certain Woodman is going to be their number one for a few years, pay the money.
“But £3.5million is quite a lot for a goalkeeper.
“We’ll just have to wait and see if he fancies it at Rangers. If he does, he’ll be going to be a big club at a big stadium.”
Woodman has kept 16 clean sheets in 38 Championship appearances for Preston this season. Only Coventry’s Ben Wilson (17) has more than him this term.
Former Newcastle goalkeeper Woodman has experience of playing in Scotland having had loan spells at Kilmarnock and Aberdeen in 2017 and 2018 respectively.
In other Rangers news, Ally McCoist has shared his “penny-pinching” verdict on a player reportedly agreeing to quit Ibrox.