'Russell Martin makes instant Mohamed Diomande transfer decision'

Russell Martin is planning to keep Mohamed Diomande at Rangers for the foreseeable future despite growing interest in his signature.

That is according to former Man United chief scout and Sir Alex Ferguson number two Mick Brown, who remains very well-connected within the game, as he exclusively told Football Insider that Premier League sides are watching the 23-year-old.

However, Martin is determined to keep his best players at the club alongside new additions to his squad during the summer transfer window.

This comes after Football Insider revealed on 6 June that Rangers will reject offers for Diomande as the new boss is planning to build his squad around him.

Everton are among the clubs eyeing a potential summer deal, but the manager with the backing of the new owners have no intention of letting him go.

Instead, they will look to strengthen the players alongside Diomande as Football Insider revealed Rangers will make funds available to Martin.

Russell Martin makes Rangers transfer plan after Diomande latest

Brown told Football Insider on 27 May that Nicolas Raskin is being watched by English clubs as Rangers are in danger of having their best players poached.

However, the former scout who has a wealth of experience in top-level player recruitment after over a decade at Man United during their most successful period, insisted Martin is prepared to do whatever he can to hold on to his key players.

"Russell Martin wants to keep his best players, that's the first thing," he told Football Insider.

"They finished 17 points behind Celtic this year, and they've got to make that ground up quickly and be shown to be challenging.

"The difficulty is bringing in players who will lift them to close that gap.

"It becomes even more difficult if you start losing your best players on top of that, because then they need replacing and potentially upgrading.

"I hear Premier League clubs have been watching the likes of Diomande which will be a concern.

"How advanced their interest is, I'm not sure, but Martin will want to make sure he stays.

"He wants to keep their best players while bringing in new options around them, that's the only way they can start to improve their situation.

"I expect with the new owners as well, he will be backed to make that happen."

Conor Coady transfer update emerges at Ibrox

As Martin looks to improve his squad around his current key players, one name who has been linked with the switch is Leicester defender Conor Coady.

Football Insider exclusively revealed on 9 June that Rangers have enquired about Coady's availability as they aim to bolster their defensive ranks.

The 32-year-old has one year remaining on his contract at the King Power Stadium, and would have to take a pay cut should he stay following their relegation.

After Martin was announed as the new Rangers manager, he will now look to bring in experienced players to help the transition to his style of play.

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