Deal close: Rangers 25-year-old on the verge of top-flight switch – report
By Matt Farr
Rangers midfielder Andy Halliday is closing in on a move to FC Gabala, according to a report.
The Scottish Sun claim that the 25-year-old is set to join the Azerbaijan Premier League outfit on a season-long loan deal this summer.
Halliday has been frozen out of the Ibrox setup ahead of the new season after being told by manager Pedro Caixinha that he is surplus to requirements at the club.
He has also been banished to train with the Rangers Under-20 side until he can identify himself a new employer, but it appears as though he is set on a temporary move to eastern Europe.
Gabala are currently at a training camp in Austria in preparation for their upcoming Europa League qualifier against either Jagiellonia Bialystok or Dinamo Batumi.
But it is understood that Halliday is set to travel to their temporary base on Tuesday in an attempt to put the finish touches on talks ahead of a proposed loan move.
Halliday made 42 appearances in all competitions for Rangers last season, scoring five goals, but looks set to be the latest senior player to quit the club as Caixinha seeks to balance the books.
The Portuguese has introduced as many as eight new signings into his squad already this summer, and he will now set about trimming down the remainder of his first-team squad.
It appeared likely that Halliday would be headed for the scrapheap, after a report in the Daily Record claimed that he was one of five senior players to have been omitted from Rangers’ squad for the Europa League.
Football Insider verdict
In the space of only a couple of weeks, Halliday has gone from regular first-team player to being deemed surplus to requirements. It’s an unfortunate situation for him to be in, but Halliday must knuckle down and make the most out of his potential move to Gabala. A move to the Azerbaijan side might not see him playing at the desired level next term, but given he will hardly get a sniff in the first-team at Rangers in Caixinha’s first full season in charge, it’s better than nothing. At 25, his career is far from over, and leaving the Scottish club could well be the best thing for him.
In other Rangers transfer news, a top-flight manager has revealed he has made an approach to sign this Rangers 26-year-old.
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