Rangers must ensure they benefit from Borna Barisic windfall after Ibrox exit news heats up
A potential Ibrox exit for Borna Barisic was shelved during the summer transfer window but Rangers are in danger of missing out on a potential windfall if they don’t make a decision on his future fairly quickly.
Barisic has been the subject of interest from Croatian club Dinamo Zagreb, but there were doubts over whether they could agree on a deal for the left-back before the transfer deadline on 8 September [Germanijak, 7 September].
The Ibrox veteran has showcased a worrying decline in his game in recent months and with just under a year remaining on his current contract in Glasgow, the Rangers fans wouldn’t have been against a possible summer exit.
However, with Ridvan Yilmaz struggling to cement himself in Michael Beale’s first team setup since his move in 2022, it wouldn’t have made sense for the Gers to sell an experienced head when there’s a lack of a quality backup.
But Rangers simply cannot afford to make the same mistakes they did on the likes of Ryan Kent and Alfredo Morelos when they allowed both their contracts to run down and missing out on a potential transfer windfall.
A stance also shared by former Ibrox midfielder Barry Ferguson.
Speaking to The Go Football Radio Show (4 August), Ferguson argued that cannot be allowed to happen again and went even deeper in his comments this months.
He said on The Go Radio Football Show 6 September episode: “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.”
With the summer window closed now in Croatia, Barisic certainly won’t be leaving right now but that doesn’t mean it isn’t still possible in January and with Zagreb calling, he’ll be tempted by a move back to his homeland if his future isn’t sorted out.
However, Rangers could be in danger of losing him for next to nothing in January and there has been talk regarding a possible new contract at Ibrox.
Writing on his personal Twitter account (6 September), Football Scotland journalist Mark McDougall reported that there was “no truth” to reports linking the Croatia international back to his homeland before Friday’s deadline or even in January.
Barisic is currently out of contract next summer but McDougall reports that he could pen a new deal at Ibrox that would see him extend his stay at the club beyond that.
Considering Barisic’s ongoing steady decline right now, a long-term deal certainly won’t be sensible and the Gers must be thinking towards a sustainable future with another potential transfer windfall.
For that reason, they should hand Barisic a short-term one-year deal to protect their asset and give them the best possible chance of receiving a healthy pay package if he was to leave.
Ferguson is absolutely right, Rangers simply cannot be making the same mistake they made with Kent and Morelos, or else they will never match their ambitions to be an elite football club again, especially on their own turf.
They cannot lose yet another key and experienced player for nothing. What message will that send to the rest of Europe?