Ibrox Sources: More than 10 clubs trying to sign Rangers senior player now valued at £10m
By Wayne Veysey
More than 10 clubs are interested in signing Rangers skipper James Tavernier in summer transfer window, Football Insider can reveal.
The Ibrox right-back has emerged as the most in-demand player at the club as Light Blues are inundated with calls from teams in the UK and overseas about him
Ibrox sources have told Football Insider that Newcastle United, Aston Villa, Brighton, multiple Championship clubs as well as teams from Italy and Spain have registered their interest in Tavernier.
Rangers face a battle to hold on to the defender, who they now value at £10million as he is at a peak age - 27 - and has three years remaining on his contract.
Tavernier is not pushing for an Ibrox exit, which gives Steven Gerrard hope he will not lose him either before British window cut-off on 8 August or the Continental Europe deadlines late next month.
Gerrard regards Tavernier as crucial to his plans for next season and that is why Rangers have placed such a high valuation on a player they regard almost as crucial as star striker Alfredo Morelos, who is five years younger.
Gerrard admitted at the end of last season that Rangers are vulnerable to losing their captain to a Premier League outfit and revealed "there have been calls about Tav with clubs interested".
Tavernier is so highly rated because he is a solid defender, a prodigious creator and scorer of goals, and is a durable and reliable performer who hardly ever misses a game.
To add to the hugely impressive 20 assists from 57 matches in all competitions last season, Tavernier was also a frequent scorer from penalties, free-kicks and set-pieces, with a remarkable 17 goals to his name.