Rangers were heavily linked with a move for Mirko Ivanic throughout the transfer window but he ended up staying with Red Star Belgrade, which is a blow as he seems to be the sort of player who Steven Gerrard would have loved to have at Ibrox.

What's the word?

The Scottish Sun tipped Rangers to complete a £3m move for the Montenegro international in the recent transfer window, with the Gers reportedly seeing a bid rejected. However, it seems as if any hopes they had of signing him ended with the early Champions League exit against Malmo, which reportedly cost the club as much as £40m.

Following that defeat against the Swedish champions, it was reported that Rangers may be forced to cash in on some of their more valuable players in order to balance the books at Ibrox. However, Gerrard was able to keep hold of his first team mainstays, with only George Edmundson and Jordan Jones sealing permanent moves away.

Therefore, perhaps it was always unlikely that Rangers would splash out £3m on Ivanic, which is a shame as his performances last season suggest that he could've been a superb addition to Gerrard's squad.

Would Ivanic have been a good signing?

Ivanic was in superb form in the 2020/21 campaign for Red Star Belgrade, contributing a remarkable 20 goals and 16 assists in all competitions for the Serbian outfit.

He is showing no signs of slowing down so far this season, with four goals and one assist to his name in 12 games for the club, predominantly from an attacking midfield position.

The 27-year-old has proven himself capable of playing in nearly every midfield and attacking position in his career thus far, and his versatility suggests that Gerrard would've loved to have a player like him at Ibrox for the 2021/22 campaign, especially when you consider that Rangers have struggled to break down opponents on a number of occasions already this season.

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Despite their domination last term, goals from central midfield were a rarity in Gerrard's side, as Steven Davis, Glen Kamara and Scott Arfield all struggled to find the back of the net on a regular basis. Ivanic certainly could've offered the 41-year-old a different, more prolific option in the middle of the park.

In other news... Rangers ace redeemed himself with superb Old Firm display