Rangers may have to let Jack Butland walk during Ibrox overhaul under Philippe Clement
Jack Butland leaving Rangers this summer is a “major concern” for Barry Ferguson, who believes it is possible the club will have no choice but to let the star man go.
The former Ibrox captain said on Go Radio’s Football Show on 13 May that the Light Blues’ “prize asset” was the most valuable man in the squad and would be in demand for a return to England once the transfer window opens.
And while the fee he might bring in could fund Philippe Clement’s rebuild it also represents a big worry in itself due to how hard it would be to replace the 31-year-old.
Ferguson said, via the Daily Record: “He’s the concern for me. Now, Jack Butland’s come up here and you saw him again on Saturday. He’s a phenomenal goalkeeper. But he is Rangers’ prize asset. He’s the one that’s worth the most money.
“I’m sure there are clubs down in England that would take Jack Butland in a minute, because he’s come back up here and shown it. He’s played the full season, virtually every single game and he’s been Rangers’ best player by a country mile.
“And that is a major concern for me, that Rangers may lose him. But they might need to go and do something like that to bring in money to go and rebuild the squad. I tell you what, he’ll be a hard guy to replace because he’s top class.”
Should Rangers sacrifice Jack Butland to rebuild Ibrox squad?
All things being equal Butland is probably the last person Clement or the fanbase would want to see leave the club.
But if a massive fee for him means the purchase of five or six new arrivals it might be a trade off that just about makes sense, depending on where he is destined to go.
The Belgian manager has confirmed that significant plans are already under way, while there is a possible option to step in if Butland did leave.
Last summer’s transfer overhaul has been hit and miss, so it would clearly be a risk to dispense with the biggest success story from it for unproven new arrivals.
The ex-England international doesn’t appear to be itching to leave but depending on the size of club that might come in for him he might be interested in some opportunities.
If Clement could turn whatever fee he receives into a group of reinforcements that are more Butland, Dujon Sterling and Abdallah Sima than Sam Lammers, Jose Cifuentes and Kieran Dowell then perhaps a sale would work out in the long run, but it would be a gamble.
In other Rangers news, the Light Blues are now in the hunt to sign an exit-bound sensation from a league rival.
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