It looks set to be a summer of change for Glasgow Rangers, with the Old Firm giants recently confirming that a host of first-team stars are set to leave the club at the end of the season, following the expiry of their contracts.
That impending mass exodus will see the veteran duo of Scott Arfield and Allan McGregor depart – as well as injury-prone defender, Filip Helander – while the talented forward pairing of Ryan Kent and Alfredo Morelos are also set for pastures new.
In the case of the latter man, the Colombian marksman will bring to an end what has largely been a stellar six-year spell in Glasgow, with the 26-year-old having scored 124 goals and provided 58 assists in 269 games across all fronts to date.
Signed for a measly fee of just £1m from HJK Helsinki back in 2017, the polarising striker has since gone on to become the Light Blues’ leading scorer in European competition, proving himself a truly prolific presence in front of goal.
While there have been notable lows for the centre-forward this season – having been branded a “pub amateur” by journalist Graham Spiers for his woes earlier in the campaign – the £33k-per-week man still has a respectable haul of 11 Scottish Premiership goals to his name thus far, having only recently bagged a brace in the 5-2 thrashing of St Mirren.
The 11-cap gem’s exit will then leave manager Michael Beale in need of a fresh face to lead the line next season, with the Englishman potentially set to find a dream heir for Morelos in the form of reported target, Nikola Krstovic.
Who is Nikola Krstovic?
The 23-year-old is a Montenegro international who has been linked with a move to Ibrox in recent times, with Football Insider reporting back in February that the DAC Dunajska Streda man was among the Gers’ list of targets to replace Morelos through the middle – albeit with the player’s reported £5m price tag something of a sticking point.
A further report from the same publication in March revealed that the seven-cap hotshot has been ‘watched’ by the Glasgow side on ‘several occasions’ over the last 18 months, although the piece also revealed that Krstovic has extended his deal with the Slovakian outfit until 2027.
Even so, that recent extension should not put off Beale and co in their pursuit of the in-form asset, with the 6 foot 1 ace having warranted the interest amid his “clinical” form in recent years, as hailed by journalist, Josh Bunting.
The former Red Star Belgrade ended the most recent campaign with 26 goals to his name in just 35 games across all competitions, proving just why he can replicate Morelos’ heroics for the Light Blues moving forward.
Also like the departing Rangers man – who was hailed as “very difficult” to handle by ex-Borussia Dortmund boss, Marco Rose – Krstovic is also something of a handful in attack, having been described as “aggressive” by Bunting.
The latter man also went as far as to suggest that the Montenegrin goal machine has “all the attributes you want in a striker“, hence further representing just why he could be a dream replacement for Morelos in Beale’s forward line.
