The upcoming summer transfer window officially opens for business later this month and it could be a busy period for Glasgow Rangers as they look to improve their squad.
Brazilian left-back Jefte has already agreed to join on a permanent deal from Fluminense to bolster the team's options at left-back, following Borna Barisic's departure on a free transfer.
Kemar Roofe, Jon McLaughlin, Ryan Jack, and John Lundstram have also been released by the Light Blues, which means that the roster has lost depth in multiple positions.
Manager Philippe Clement and head of recruitment Nils Koppen must navigate the upcoming window to ensure that they come out the other side of it with a squad that can compete to win the Scottish Premiership title.
The Ibrox giants have not won the division in any of the last three seasons, with their rivals Celtic pipping them to it once again this term, but did lift the League Cup during the 2023/24 campaign.
Changes could be made to the defensive options at Clement's disposal as the Belgian boss is reportedly looking at a deal for a young central defender.
Rangers interested in AC Milan youngster
According to the Gallant View podcast, Rangers are eyeing up a bargain swoop to sign Clinton Nsiala on a free transfer from Italian giants AC Milan this summer.
The 20-year-old enforcer is out of contract ahead of the 2024/25 campaign and could arrive at Ibrox on the cheap, as they would not have to pay a transfer fee to bring him to Scotland.
However, it currently remains to be seen how far advanced a potential deal is and how interested in making the switch to Glasgow the defender is, as he may prefer to remain in Italy or assess his options elsewhere.
It was recently reported by Al-Riyadiya, as relayed by BBC Sport, that Steven Gerrard is lining up a swoop to sign centre-back Connor Goldson for Al-Ettifaq.
The former Gers boss would like to reunite with the English battler and Light Blues captain James Tavernier, with the ex-Liverpool midfielder preparing moves to sign both of them ahead of next season.
That report did not reveal how much Rangers would demand for either of those players or whether they are prepared to cash in on them at all.
Clement could, though, wave bye-bye to Goldson and cash in on him amid this interest in his services by securing a deal to sign Nsiala from Milan on a free transfer.
Why it could be time to move on from Connor Goldson
The veteran defender turns 32 later this year and the Light Blues may not get many more chances to make money from him before his value starts to decrease with his age rising into his 30s.
He has racked up 309 first-team appearances for the Scottish giants in all competitions throughout his career to date, and has undoubtedly been a fantastic servant to the club – given how many times the star has played for them over the years.
However, Rangers have only won one league title in his six years at Ibrox and it could be time for a fresh approach to the new campaign, with new heroes emerging.
Clement may want to fully start his own era, in his first full season in charge, by offloading the experienced players who have been at the club for many years and consistently lost out on the title to Celtic, to then bring in new talents who are not weighed down by failures of the past.
Goldson, at 31, is heading into the latter stages of his career and has been on the wrong end of too many title races during his time in Glasgow.
He is not a player with the potential to grow and improve and keeping him at Ibrox now could see his powers wane as his age rises and his mobility declines, which is why now could be the perfect time to part ways with him.
If Gerrard and Al-Ettifaq are ready to put millions on the table to snap the defender up then it could be an ideal move for all parties involved, with the Saudi side getting their man, Rangers getting money in return, and the player getting a chance to reunite with his former manager.
Why Rangers should sign Clinton Nsiala
However, the Gers would need to bring in another centre-back in order to wave bye-bye to Goldson first and Nsiala could be the man brought in to facilitate that exit.
The former France U16 international is a left-footed star who operates on the left side of the defence, which means that he would not be a direct replacement for the English ace.
However, his arrival at Ibrox would then allow the right-footed John Souttar, who played on the left side this season, to move over to his stronger foot next to Nsiala.
It would be a risky move by Rangers, though, as Nsiala is yet to make his first-team debut and that means that he is not a proven senior performer who you could confidently predict to hit the ground running in Glasgow.
However, his sublime form at U19 level for Milan during the 2023/24 campaign suggests that the potential is there for him to emerge as an excellent signing for the Gers.
Appearances
31
30
Goals
3
0
Pass accuracy
87%
86%
Interceptions per game
3.2
0.3
Ball recoveries per game
10.8
5.5
Duels won per game
6.8
6.1
Aerial duel success rate
58%
67%
As you can see in the table above, Nsiala was an aggressive defender for the Italian giants' youth side with almost twice as many ball recoveries and over ten times as many interceptions per game as Goldson made for Rangers in the Premiership.
This suggests that the 20-year-old colossus could win possession back for his side more frequently by winning the ball back through recoveries, interceptions, and duels won – limiting the number of chances that are created on Jack Butland's goal.
However, the Gers star has the advantage over him when it comes to his success rate in the air, which could be an area for the young star to work on if he arrives in Glasgow this summer.
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Whilst there is no guarantee that Nsiala will be able to translate that level of performance over to the Premiership, his form in Italy is an indicator of the kind of talent Clement could land and why it could allow him to wave bye-bye to Goldson and kickstart a new era in the Light Blues defence.