Sam Johnstone touted for Rangers transfer despite 'baffling' £10million fee while race for Croatian 'target' heats up - Ibrox bulletin
Rangers have been tipped to make a move for Wolves stopper Sam Johnstone in light of the injury suffered by Jack Butland.
Butland has missed the last two games after being admitted to hospital with 'significant' internal bleeding to his leg, with summer signing Liam Kelly deputising in the 3-0 hammering of Celtic and Sunday's thrilling 3-3 draw with Hibs at Easter Road. The 31-year-old has now been released from hospital but it remains to be seen when he will be able to make his return in between the sticks for Philippe Clement's side.
And in the view of EFL pundit Don Goodman, Rangers should consider an approach for Johnstone, who was Butland's teammate during the latter's brief spell at Crystal Palace prior to his arrival at Ibrox. However, former Wolves, West Brom and Sunderland star Goodman admits the finances involved would make a permanent switch north of the border unlikely.
Speaking to Plejmo.com, he said: "Sam Johnstone moving to Rangers could be a move that suits all parties. I was baffled when Wolves paid £10 million for him from Crystal Palace as I didn't really see him as an upgrade on Jose Sa and he wasn't performing well enough to be Palace's first-choice. I found it strange when you look at how careful Wolves have had to be with spending and FFP in recent times.
"Rangers have to consider their options in the transfer window after Jack Butland's injury. A permanent move could be dependent on the price tag but a loan is likely to come down to whether Sam Johnstone would be interested in a move to Scotland."
Elsewhere, the Light Blues will face competition from La Liga side Real Betis for NK Osijek's £2.4million-rated midfielder Marko Soldo, The versatile 21-year-old is said to be on Ibrox Director of Football Nils Koppen's radar. Osijek are reportedly unwilling to sell the player in January but could be persuaded to come to the table due to Betis' sizeable resources.
And finally, Record Sport understands that ex Rangers' star Nikola Katic would be open for a return to Ibrox to help with the defensive injury crisis currently facing boss Clement. The Bosnia and Herzegovina centre back currently plies his trade with FC Zurich in Switzerland, but could be on the move this month with his agent in talks with several clubs about a potential move.
But we can exclusively reveal that Katic's first port of call if he were to depart would be Ibrox, where he was a favourite with supporters during Steven Gerrard's tenure in the dugout. Katic scored six goals in 59 matches for the Gers in an injury-ravaged spell between 2018 and 2022, including a Old Firm winner against Celtic at Parkhead.
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