When his contract expires in the summer, a player in whom Rangers expressed interest during the January transfer window appears set to sign with a rival Scottish Premiership team.
The highly-regarded 25-year-old looks to be another addition to the growing list of left-backs that Rangers had their eye on but either moved on or had a possible move to Glasgow slip through their fingers.
In the winter, Liverpool turned down The Gers’ approach for Owen Beck and sent him back to Dundee. Fredrik Oppegard and Anass Salah-Eddine stayed in the Eredivisie. Meanwhile, a deal for Jefte Vital of Fluminense fell through because APOEL Nicosia was unwilling to end his loan tenure midway through the Cypriot campaign. Gijs Smal is joining Feyenoord.
Target for Rangers consents to join a Premier League competitor
When summer arrives, Rangers are anticipated to continue where they left off with Vital.
But now that Hearts have agreed arrangements to transfer the out-of-contract Livingston defender to Tynecastle, any plans they may have had to do the same regarding James Penrice may be set aside.
The Edinburgh News reports that Penrice decided not to sign new agreements with David Martindale’s team and has instead agreed to terms with Steven Naismith’s team. Yan Dhanda of Ross County is also being signed by Heart of Midlothian to a comparable contract.
Hearts and Philippe Clement’s Rangers team were reportedly interested in the West Lothian-born defender, according to HITC Football’s report at the end of January. Penrice, one of the more underappreciated players in the top flight, deserves a chance to show off his skills at a team with higher aspirations at the other end of the table. It is unclear if the Scottish Premiership contenders had Penrice on their list of summer targets, but the full-back has five assists in a struggling Livi team.
Third-place Hearts will participate in European football in 2024–2024
James Penrice will soon be in Hearts.
A few months ago, Martindale, unsurprised by the rumors surrounding one of his star players, stated, “I think James is going to have a few options in the summer.”
Despite having a bad season, Penrice has been one of our standout players this year. In my opinion, he has choices for the summer and may play at a much higher level.
The left-back that signs with Rangers will probably take Borna Barisic’s place. The long-serving Croatian is expected to depart on a free transfer after Ridvan Yilmaz stole his starting spot.
GET MORE NEWS HERE