Michael Beale could be set to face somewhat of a midfield conundrum at Glasgow Rangers this summer.

Scott Arfield, Steven Davis, and Ryan Jack are all out of contract come the end of the campaign, whereas loan players Malik Tillman and James Sands – unless signed on permanent deals – will return to their parent clubs.

This could leave a gaping hole in the heart of the Rangers side and the recently-appointed manager will be using both the January and summer transfer windows to sign players who could form the basis of the Light Blues midfield going forward.

The 42-year-old has reportedly targeted a move for St Mirren star Keanu Baccus, although he could make a surprise move for a former Rangers teen sensation in John Fleck, who left the club back in 2012.

Fleck could be the ideal Davis heir

With the news of Davis being ruled out for the end of the season and unlikely to play for the club again after suffering a serious knee injury in training, Beale will be looking for a heir to the 38-year-old.

Former Gers striker Kris Boyd urged the club to make a move for Fleck, who is out of contract this summer while speaking on Sky Sports:

“I think Michael Beale has spoken about it that the central midfield area is one he wants to strengthen,” he said. “He’s lost Stevie Davis and it’s not ideal but I wouldn’t be rushing in and just grabbing players for the sake of it, especially in January.

“There are players out of contract and I think the obvious one for me would be John Fleck at Sheffield United.

"Michael Beale has spoken about it like I’ve said before and I think John has been at Rangers before and knows and has been brought up on it. He is a different player from the one that left Rangers but people like that would be on my radar.”

The £23k-per-week star was dubbed “incredible” by his former manager Chris Wilder and Fleck has impressed in his 11 appearances in the Championship for Sheffield United this season.

His attacking credentials are underlined by the 31-year-old making 1.5 key passes per match while creating four big chances and despite not scoring himself, he is more than capable of generating plenty of opportunities for teammates.

By making 1.4 tackles per game and winning 58% of his total duels, Fleck can also contribute well defensively and this will be an added bonus for Beale.

Davis will be a hard person to replace, with his experience and winners mentality feeding off to the young talents around Ibrox, however, Fleck was once one of those players at Rangers, playing alongside Davis for a couple of seasons and he knows the club extremely well.

Despite suffering from various injury issues this season, including a broken leg back in August, making a move for Fleck in the summer could be a cost-effective way to add a solid midfielder into the squad, while also boosting the home-grown criteria for the Champions League in the process.