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This article is part of Football FanCast's Transfer Focus series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent transfer news...

Former Liverpool and Fenerbahce defender Martin Skrtel has confirmed that he's held talks with Steven Gerrard's Rangers, according to The Daily Record. 

What's the story?

Skrtel has been a free agent since leaving Fenerbahce this summer and has stated that he's spoken to five clubs across Europe, one of which is Rangers, about possible deals.

The Slovakia international confirmed that as well as holding talks with Rangers, he also has had enquires from Parma, Olympiakos, Basaksehir and former club Fenerbahce.

The 34-year-old has reportedly been a target for the Ibrox club ever since his former Liverpool teammate Gerrard took the reigns in May 2018. The apparent stumbling block was the central defenders' wages, with Skrtel bagging a pricey £60,000-a-week in Turkey.

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Now though, the issue that seems likely to impact any deal that brings Skrtel to Ibrox is the signing of Swedish defender Filip Helander from Bologna, who joined in a reported £3.5m deal.

Helander's arrival now means there are four first-team centre-halves at the club, with the Swede joining Connor Goldson, Nikola Katic and George Edmundson, who'll also embark on his first season at Rangers.

Does Gerrard need another option at centre back?

Helander joins a talented trio competing for Gerrard's two central defensive slots and will surely be expecting to play more often than not given his fee - he looks the ideal man to partner Goldson.

The former Malmo man is the club's biggest outlay on a player since their return to the top flight of Scottish football and he will likely be treated as such by the former Liverpool captain.

Gerrard does like a big squad that offers him a variety of options though - he included 46 different players in his squads over last year's campaign.

He also likes to have an experienced centre half, having regularly tried to sign Skrtel and eventually settling on bringing in then 38-year-old Gareth MacAuley to provide experience to his back-line.

However, given that the club just spent a relatively big sum to find the perfect partner for Goldson, and the fact that both Katic and Edmundson will be desperate to prove they are more than just young players with potential, there may just be no room at the inn for Gerrard's former teammate.