Steven Gerrard's hopes of keeping Rangers centre-back Filip Helander at Ibrox this summer look to have taken a blow, as recent reports suggest that he wants to test himself in the Premier League.

According to Football Insider, Rangers could sell the Swedish international for £6m this summer, as he wants to play in England.

The former Bologna man has been linked with a move to both Aston Villa and Leicester City in recent months, so it seems as if Gerrard faces a battle to keep one of his top centre-backs at Ibrox ahead of next season.

Whilst the 40-year-old has a plethora of options at the back, with Connor Goldson and Leon Balogun having both impressed there this season, whilst Nikola Katic and Jack Simpson are also likely to become regulars, Helander has been one of the key reasons behind Rangers' impressive defensive record this season.

The Light Blues have conceded just 12 goals in 35 top-flight fixtures this season with their superb defence one of the main reasons why Gerrard's side remain unbeaten with just three league games to go.

Helander, who reportedly earns £10k per week at Rangers, has made 21 appearances in the Premiership this campaign, in which he has contributed one goal and averaged an impressive 7.11 average rating.

This ranks him as Gerrard's seventh-best performer in the top-flight, ahead of every other centre-back option bar Goldson, which emphasises that he would be a big loss should he leave this summer.

There is no guarantee that Katic will return to his former self after his season-long injury, whilst Balogun is 32 and was only handed a one-year extension to his contract by the club recently, so perhaps he isn't seen as a long-term solution in that position, so unless new signings are brought in, Gerrard could find himself short of quality options at centre-back.

Back in 2019, Gerrard described Helander as a "leader" and the last thing he will want to do before their Champions League campaign next season is lose players that have that quality, so it would undoubtedly be a blow if a Premier League club were to make an official approach for him and turn his head.

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Considering Helander and Goldson have been the most effective centre-back partnership in this title-winning season, Rangers fans would surely be devastated to see him leave, especially if he departs before they can officially return to Ibrox.

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