Rangers ‘annoyed’ as John Lundstram exit talks held at Ibrox, ‘problems’ emerge in deal
Rangers are thought to be “annoyed” by Trabzonspor’s attempts to sign John Lundstram, according to a report from 61saat.
Lundstram is out of contract at the end of the season, but the Gers are hoping to convince the midfielder to pen an extension.
However, Trabzonspor’s efforts to sway the Englishman and bring him to Turkey do not appear to have gone down well in Glasgow.
Conversely, Rangers appear quite content for their counterparts to approach another of their out-of-contract stars in Borna Barisic, who Philippe Clement seems prepared to lose.
“While there does not appear to be any problem in the Barisic transfer so far, it is stated that Rangers has caused problems in the Lundstram transfer,” the report read.
“At this point, it was stated that Rangers offered a new contract to the English player at the beginning of the season, but no progress has been made yet. While the negotiations were ongoing, Trabzonspor’s involvement seems to have annoyed the Scottish team.”
Will John Lundstram quit Rangers?
Lundstram has become a crucial cog in Clement’s system at Rangers.
The Liverpudlian is the beating heart of the side – a metronomic presence at the base of midfield.
Only goalkeeper Jack Butland, captain James Tavernier and central defender Connor Goldson have played more minutes for Rangers across all competitions this season than Lundstram’s 3,752 – a statistic that underlines his importance to the side.
A glance at his numbers from the Gers’ run to the Europa League round of 16 serves to illustrate his various qualities. Per 90 in the competition this season, he took 46.75 touches in the middle third of the pitch, completed 50.13 passes – including 7.75 long passes – and made 8.75 ball recoveries, according to FBref.
The eye test supports the picture painted by those statistics of a player who prowls the centre and acts as a conduit on the ball, frequently launching the team forward – he will surely be crucial in Rangers’ upcoming Old Firm derby clash with Celtic on 7 April.
Losing a player of Lundstram’s calibre on a free transfer would certainly sting – and Clement would not be happy if appropriate funding was not allocated to securing the future of a key man.
In other Rangers news, Barry Ferguson has revealed the two changes he would like to see Clement make to the starting line-up for the Old Firm derby.
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