Rangers star 'unlikely' to get new deal as £3.5m man to leave for nothing

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Philippe Clement talked about not letting Rangers players run down their contracts and leave the club for free.

In January, the manager looked ahead to the summer when the club had five players coming to the end of their deals.

That wasn’t a good business model, he said.

As it turned out Ryan Jack, Kemar Roofe, Borna Barisic, John Lundstram and Jon McLaughlin all moved on with Gers not getting a penny in return.

The year before it was the same with Ryan Kent, Alfredo Morelos, Scott Arfield and Filip Helander.

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Tom Lawrence looks set to leave Rangers for free

It was a situation Clement insisted would never happen again and this time the only players in the squad coming out of contract in the summer of 2025 will be Leon Balogun and Tom Lawrence.

The Nigerian centre-back will turn 37 around that time and, despite Rangers fans being big admirers of Balogun, it would not be a surprise to see him leave for a second time.

Lawrence’s situation would not be cut and dried.

The midfielder has been a starter for much of this season but found himself one of the players under most scrutiny when the team was underperforming.

He has spent a frustrating chunk of his time at Rangers out injured and will turn 31 in January.

Now, the Daily Mail is reporting that clubs chiefs are “showing no inclination” to offer the Wales international a new contract because of his injury history.

What Clement said about Ranger contracts

Those comments referred to back in January stated the club would not allow the situation with expiring contracts to reoccur.

"This season to have five players out of contract is a crazy situation because you throw away money," Clement said in January. "They have no value any more if the contract is ended.

"I know that we are not the most wealthy club in the world. We want to get transfers in that can have an impact now but also can have added value for the next couple of years on the field and selling them for bigger amounts.

If you look at the last couple of years, this is one thing that the club has missed. They didn't have big outgoing transfers and because of that, not getting money in to do other things.

"That is one of the targets, strange as it is for a manager to talk about that but I want to help in that way so the club can grow in every sense.

"It is getting a good balance in the squad, good experienced players and also young prospects that you can let grow to a higher level than Glasgow Rangers. That is the objective. And you need to have players who are in contract.

"So there is a lot of work to be done in that way, everybody in the club is working hard in that way to have clear vision of how to bring money into the club by developing players but getting results also, winning trophies.

"You don't have the situation where you have players of value going free at the end of contract – it can never happen."

However, what he was likely referring to was the volume of players coming to the end of deals at the same time, meaning the club were letting a chunk of their squad go and getting nothing in return.

But there are always going to be exceptional circumstances for individuals and you can see why a player in their 30s and with that injury history would be one such exception.

No transfer fee was paid for the player who came on a free transfer, although his contract was worth around £3.5m when he signed a three-year deal with Rangers back in the summer of 2022 (Salary Sport).