Barry Ferguson tells Rangers to ‘cash in’ on Borna Barisic as transfer news emerges
Barry Ferguson has said that Rangers should “cash in” on Borna Barisic if he isn’t likely to sign a new contract with the Ibrox club before his current deal expires at the end of the season.
The Croatian defender missed Michael Beale’s side’s defeat in the first Old Firm derby of the season on Sunday (3 September) having failed a late fitness test before the game, but has been deemed fit to play for his national team during the September break.
Barisic has been the subject of interest from Croatian club Dinamo Zagreb, but there are doubts over whether they could agree on a deal for the left-back before the transfer deadline on 8 September [Germanijak, 7 September], Ferguson believes Rangers should cash in on the 30-year-old.
Speaking on The Go Radio Football Show on Wednesday (6 September), he said: “If you are not fit for the weekend, over the years, players who are not available have not played for their national team. So that caught me by surprise.
“He is in the final year of his contract and the Croatian window is still open. If he is not looking to sign and Michael Beale does not want him to sign a long-term contract, then I think you have got to look to cash in.”
Decision time
It seems as though a more for Barisic this late in the window now seems unlikely, with Zagreb looking to other targets and Rangers reluctant to sell a player who is a regular starter when fit when they are unable to sign a replacement.
Both Dujon Sterling and Ridden Yilmaz deputised in the Croatian’s absence at Ibrox against Celtic and while neither was particularly poor, they did little to suggest they should be displacing Barisisc in the near future, so Beale won’t won’t to lose his first-choice left-back.
But the opportunity to receive a transfer fee for Barisic is fading as clubs will be unlikely to spend a fee on an ageing defender in January when they are instead able to sign him for free following the expiry of his contract at the end of the season.
Alternatively, there is every chance that the 30-year-old could extend his stay in Glasgow beyond the end of the season, there has been increased speculation about whether or not he is likely to sign a new deal because of his sudden return to fitness after he missed the Old Firm game.
While it is fair to speculate whether or not he prioritised being fit for the international team over playing for the Gers, there is no evidence to suggest that means he wants out of Ibrox. Either way, the Light Blues would be leaving themselves short of options if they let him depart this summer
In other Rangers news, Todd Cantwell has broken his silence following the Old Firm defeat, saying Gers’ fans deserve more