Rangers manager Giovanni van Bronckhorst must avoid a major transfer mistake as no fewer than nine of his players are set to leave Ibrox for free in the summer upon the expiration of their contracts, one of these being goalkeeper Allan McGregor.
What's the story?
The Gers have nine first-team players with contracts that are set to expire next summer, including first-choice goalkeeper Allan McGregor. Should any of these players fail to sign a contract extension before January, they will be allowed to speak to other clubs and sign a pre-contract agreement before joining for free in the summer.
The likes of McGregor, Steven Davis, Connor Goldson, Leon Balogun and Scott Arfield are all players with deals due to finish in June 2022.
It's a major issue for the Dutch manager who will have to make a decision on the immediate futures of nine players, particularly 'keeper McGregor who has been instrumental at Ibrox.
Rangers must keep McGregor
Despite being 39-years-old, McGregor is still one of the Scottish champions' key players, having kept eight clean sheets in 21 appearances across all competitions this season.
Furthermore, the £13k-per-week Scotsman was instrumental in the Glasgow club's title charge last season, keeping 16 clean sheets in 24 Premiership appearances - 67% of his games.
The goalkeeper has received plenty of praise whilst at Rangers, particularly of late when Livingstone manager David Martindale labelled McGregor as "fantastic" after the Scotsman had made a "game-changing save" against his side.
If McGregor, who was dubbed a "great servant" by Kevin Phillips, was to leave Ibrox after joining from Hull City in 2018, then 34-year-old back-up Jon McLaughlin may be given a look in, or the Gers would look to purchase a new first-choice 'keeper. Regardless, Rangers will need to buy a new goalkeeper if the 39-year-old was to leave.
A pivotal member of van Bronckhorst's squad, the Scottish champions should look to keep McGregor on the books for at least one more season and then seek out a suitable replacement. Losing him now, especially when he's still so important, would unquestionably be a blunder by the club's Dutch manager.