£4m Rangers player left in limbo as Birmingham City want to sign him

An “outstanding” Rangers player has reportedly been left in limbo regarding his future at Ibrox, as Birmingham City consider making a move for him in the summer transfer window.

Rangers manager search continues

It always felt likely that Barry Ferguson would only be in interim charge of the Gers until the end of the season, even though he did his chances no harm after an impressive start, helping his side reach the Europa League quarter-finals.

Rangers have now officially confirmed that Ferguson will be moving on, with a club statement saying: “Everyone at Rangers Football Club would like to pass on their heartfelt thanks to Barry Ferguson and his staff, with yesterday’s game at Hibernian being their final match in charge.”

It’s now a case of the Scottish Premiership giants bringing in the ideal successor this summer, with David Ancelotti a leading target. The son of Carlo Ancelotti, he is the assistant to his father at Real Madrid, and may thwart interested parties by sticking by his Dad’s side on the Brazil coaching staff.

Meanwhile, reports linking Steven Gerrard with a return to Rangers still aren’t going away, with the Liverpool legend guiding the Gers to title glory in his first go round. Now, a new transfer update has emerged that is directly related to the managerial situation at Ibrox.

Ben Davies in limbo over his Ibrox future

According to a new report from Give Me Sport, financial powerhouses Birmingham City are keen on signing Rangers defender Ben Davies on a permanent basis this summer, having spent this season on loan at the Midlands side, helping them achieve promotion from League One to the Championship.

The Blues are one of the biggest teams in the English second tier despite having only just gone up, with reports suggesting they are set to spend on par with the three teams relegated from the Premier League this summer.

That said, the update states that the Gers’ “search for a new boss is preventing them” from sorting a deal. Birmingham are being forced to wait “until Rangers decide whether or not to keep” Davies which can only happen once a new boss comes in and assesses his squad.

Unless Rangers’ next manager rates Davies highly, which would arguably be a surprise after being shipped off on loan by Philippe Clement, it makes complete sense to sell him this summer.

A permanent switch to Birmingham could easily appeal to the English centre-back, considering he was such an influential figure throughout their promotion campaign, starting 32 games in League One and averaging 4.1 aerial duels wins per match.

Davies was also hailed by former Rangers manager Michael Beale, who said of him during their time working together: “What about Ben Davies? Comes into the season injured and misses up until after the international break. A lot has been said about him outside and the last two performances from him have been outstanding. Two clean sheets, coming back into the team.”

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Ultimately, it hasn’t quite worked out for Davies since his £4m move from Liverpool, even though he has still managed 58 appearances overall, scoring and assisting once apiece in that time. For that reason, a new challenge would benefit everyone, especially as he only has one year remaining on his current Gers deal.