Rangers work on signing 'the next Borna Barisic' as transfer mission underway

Rangers are plotting a move to sign players in the mould of Borna Barisic as their scouts have been scouring Eastern Europe for talent.

Barisic was picked up by Rangers for a fee of just £2.2million in 2018, and went on to establish himself as a crucial part of their title-winning side and the Crotatia national team.

Before his move to Ibrox, the left-back had spent his whole career in Croatia, and he was discovered by scouts keeping track of the hidden talents in that region.

Former Man United chief scout Mick Brown told Football Insider that Rangers are still eyeing young, undiscovered talent in Eastern Europe as part of their new transfer plans.

Signing younger, previously unknown talents and developing them into top players at Ibrox has taken on a renewed focus for Rangers in this summer's transfer window.

While they are keen to strengthen their squad with ready-made talent, scouting areas like Eastern Europe for younger stars will set them up for an ambitious future.

What are Rangers' updated transfer plans for this summer?

Football Insider reported in May that Rangers are placing a focus on signing younger talents this summer as part of long-term plans to strengthen for the future.

As a result, Rangers' scouts have been tracking a number of players across areas of Europe where they feel there is more value in signing hidden gems.

Eastern Europe has emerged as a key area, with the likes of Barisic and Nikola Katic having arrived at Ibrox from the region and played key roles in Rangers winning trophies.

"Rangers are going to struggle to compete in some of the more well-known markets," Brown told Football Insider.

"They can go and sign the best players from clubs like Hearts, the best players in Scotland, but that's not going to be enough to make them real challengers, they have to look elsewhere.

"So Rangers have got to be aware of those best players in Scotland, but they also have to be aware of these hidden gem players in Europe.

"Eastern Europe, especially, there's a lot of talent over there which can go undiscovered by the biggest clubs, and that opens the door for Rangers to move and bring them to Scotland.

"They had the left-back from Croatia, Borna Barisic, who they brought in from over there. They had the Bosnian centre-back, Katic, who was playing in Croatia as well at the time.

"Both of those players came in from what is a lesser-known market, they developed and became better players at Rangers, and were part of the group that won the league.

"So they want to replicate those types of signings who might be overlooked by the big clubs but certainly have the talent to come into Rangers and make a difference.

"If Rangers don't have the money or the ability to compete in the more well-known markets, these are the places where they will be looking."

Which other regions are Rangers scouts watching closely?

Despite having previous had success signing players from Eastern Europe, the recruitment team at Ibrox have also cast a wider net to assess hidden talents elsewhere.

Scandinavia has also been identified as a potential area of value, with low fees being spent to secure players with huge potential to develop in the future.

Brown told Football Insider on 14 July that Rangers hope to sign "the next Erling Haaland or Martin Odegaard", with a number of young talents already on their radar.

Players including BA Hacken midfielder Silas Andersen and Hammarby IF right-back Hampus Skoglund have been linked with moves to Ibrox and are firmly on the club's radar.

Meanwhile, Rangers are in pursuit of a deal to sign Tromso midfielder Jens Hjerto-Dahl and have already seen an offer rejected as they push to agree a fee.