Amid their Scottish Premiership title ambitions, Rangers are set to bid farewell to several stars this summer upon the expiry of a number of contracts, including one star who Philippe Clement wants to keep.
Rangers transfer news
Keeping together a side who could yet end the season as champions is usually seen as a vital step ahead of potentially defending that crown, but the exit door is well and truly open at Ibrox even if they do pip Celtic to the title.
Ryan Jack, Kemar Roofe, Leon Balogun and Borna Barisic are all among the players set to become free agents this summer, moving on and making room for fresh faces in Clement's first summer in charge.
In a ruthless act from Clement, he will hope to make his mark more than ever in Glasgow this summer. He's already shown what he's capable of by reviving Rangers mid-season to get them back in the title picture, so there's plenty of promise in giving him the keys ahead of his first full season in charge.
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One player that he'll likely have to do it without next season is John Lundstram, however. According to 61 Trabzon Haber via Sport Witness, Lundstram has agreed a deal in principle with Trabzonspor after reports earlier in the week indicated that they were chasing a deal. Now, with just a few details to agree on, the midfielder looks to have taken a step closer to finding his next club.
The news will leave Clement undoubtedly frustrated, having previously been positive when asked about the chances that Rangers keep hold of Lundstram.
"There have not been any more talks now. For the moment, there will be in the future.
“I know both sides love each other so I expect a solution at the end. With John, I don’t have many hairs on my head, but there are none that has a doubts about his commitment. He loves this club. He is full of passion for this club about everything."
Rangers must find right replacement for Lundstram
Despite Clement's attempt to pour water on flames to put out any rumours regarding Lundstram's exit, it looks increasingly likely that Rangers will be in need of a replacement for the Gers midfielder this summer. And they must make sure to get things right.
His exit does at least pave the way for a fresh face and clear a reported £22,000 per-week from their wage bill, but that doesn't make finding a replacement for Lundstram any simpler this summer.
The midfielder ticks the box for both experience and quality, which are two traits which may not go hand in hand for fresh faces. Instead, Clement could go down the route of finding a young player to mould into his system to hand Rangers a long-term option who may even eventually become better than the version of Lundstram that Ibrox has seen over the years.