Conor Coady message to Rangers insider amid Wrexham interest as initial Ibrox transfer offer surfaces
In-demand Conor Coady is still keeping tabs on Rangers amid reported interest from Wrexham.
The Leicester City defender has been a target at Ibrox all summer - with both the Scottish Premiership giants and Coady had been keen to make a deal happen.
The England cap had been keen to link up with Russell Martin in time for the double-header against Panathinaikos - but he remains with the Foxes as new boss Marti Cifuentes has been unable to find a replacement.
The 32-year-old has remained as captain going into the new season but is now attracting interest from cash-rich Wrexham after entering the final year of his contract.
The Red Dragons - owned by Hollywood actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney - reportedly want to bring in the England international as part of their ambitious plan to reach the English top-flight by 2027.
But amid the interest, Coady signalled he is still keeping tabs on the Light Blue after they progressed through the Champions League qualification rounds with a draw in Athens enough to secure an aggregate victory as he sent a message to Jack Butland
Goalkeeper Butland took to Instagram to acknowledge the Rangers support by posting 'on to the next" with a bear and union jack emoji and images from the 1-1 draw at the Olympic Stadium - which was liked by Coady.
It comes after details of Rangers' initial approach for the 32-year-old have emerged, with the Leicester Mercury stating a loan offer was put on the table.
It is said Leicester rejected the offer as they are looking to offload players and boost their transfer budget - with free agent Asmir Begovic the only new face in the door so far this summer for the cash-strapped club.
With Coady set to leave at the end of the campaign as a free agent, any bid for the centre-back will be seriously considered by City this summer.
Boss Cifuentes conceded last week that players had to be sold in this window following Premier League relegation.
The Spaniard said: 'It's very clear we have a lot of players in the squad. Definitely there is a lot of quality, but at the same time we need to understand that we need to trim this squad.
'At the moment we have 32 players which is quite a lot. It's not what I want. Everybody is aware is that the market, there's a lot of weeks until it's closed. A lot of things can happen."
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Daily Record
9 minutes ago
- Daily Record
Plucky Greek journo's Rangers question to Russell Martin shows Panathinaikos devastation - and Ibrox fans must get real
Seriously, the criticism of him and his team's performance has been ridiculously over the top writes our man who was in Athens Only one plucky Greek journalist managed to muster a question at Russell Martin's post-match press conference in Athens. The rest were probably hurting too much. The guy was gutted, having just watched Panathinaikos get dumped out of Europe by Rangers in their own backyard. When he addressed Martin on the podium, the pain was etched on his face. He asked the Rangers manager if he felt his side had all the luck in their Champions League qualifying tie. And if he didn't, could he pinpoint a single aspect of the game where the Scottish team were better than Rui Vitoria's beaten side. At one point, you wondered if there might be tears. OK, I'm over-egging it. But the point I'm trying to illustrate is just how devastated the Greeks were by the 3-1 aggregate result. Yet in the aftermath of Rangers' victory, judging by some of the reaction, Martin and his players should somehow feel guilty about their Champions League progression. Seriously, the criticism of him and his team's performance has been ridiculously over the top. Even Record Sport's own Keith Jackson, was scathing in his assessment. On the way home from Greece, Rangers fans at the airport seemed deflated, rather than elated. Football's changed eh? Remember the days when it was all about winning? Now, if your team's display is not aesthetically pleasing, for some the result is almost irrelevant. It's madness. Martin has worked with this group of players for a matter of weeks. A hotchpotch squad of some guys riddled by failure for years, others who want out, some who aren't good enough - and a few prized assets the manager will hope to build upon. He's then added a raft of new signings to the mix, a couple of whom aren't even fully fit yet. On top of that, he's been 100 percent clear that he's bringing a completely new way of playing that will take time to implement. Remember, for Rangers this isn't just a tweak or tinker job in terms of style. It's a seismic, cultural change not seen at Ibrox in years. So, after 57 days in the job, what exactly were supporters and pundits expecting from Martin and this team? Free-flowing phases of play and attacking football from the off? Get real. When the draw for the Champions League qualifiers was made, Panathinaikos was the nightmare pairing for Rangers - the toughest possible opponent at this stage. Most outsiders felt it would be a tall order to go through. Instead, they've scored three outstanding goals over two legs to win 3-1 and secure a guaranteed Europa League group spot again. But Martin's getting flak? Would supporters or critics rather be in the shoes of that Greek journalist or the Panathinaikos fans after Wednesday night? Absolutely delighted with how they played, creating loads of chances - but out of Europe altogether before August? Didn't think so. So why the negativity? Martin's squad is still a million miles away from being Champions League ready. He'll want at least another four players in before the transfer window closes, with a few going out as well. But right now, he's had to navigate a hugely difficult European tie with the cards he's been dealt. And he hasn't done too bad a job. Of course, there were scares at Ibrox and in the Olympic Stadium. Aye, Jack Butland had to pull off a few good saves in the tie. But that's what he's there for. Rangers were under the cosh for 45 minutes in Greece and had to dig in. But with Panathinaikos two goals behind, at their own ground, with 40,000 fanatics demanding they go for Rangers' throats - did anyone seriously expect anything else? Martin's team could obviously have been better on the ball but it's still early days. There WERE glimpses of what he wants from this team and how he expects it to look. But he's still well short of quality in the final third of the pitch. I've read accusations of Rangers being 'wide open'. So what does that make Panathinaikos, who shipped three goals in the tie? The key thing about Wednesday night - which is a really important sign of what the players think of their new gaffer - is the shift they put in for him in testing conditions. They didn't wilt. Instead, they grafted their a***s off for Martin and his staff. That tells me they've bought into him, which is vital. When Ange Postecoglou arrived at Celtic in the summer of 2022, he also vowed to transform the Hoops' playing style. Early on, just like Martin, he was thrown into a tricky European qualifier against FC Midtjylland - and came a cropper. Celtic were beaten by the competent Danes but excuses were made for their new Aussie gaffer. That's despite the fact he deployed a multi-million pound forward line in the two games, consisting of Liel Abada, Odsonne Edouard and Ryan Christie. All of whom are considerably better than Martin's attacking trio - Kieran Dowell, Danilo and Findlay Curtis - against the Greeks. Postecoglou also lost his opening league game at Tynecastle against Hearts when, while trying to get his team playing out from the back, the likes of new Swedish defender Carl Starfelt was all over the place. Again, it was seen as a work in progress. There were signs it was coming together but defeats to Rangers at Ibrox and Livingston in West Lothian suggested his style wouldn't work away from home. Their Old Firm rivals were apparently certs for the title. We all know what happened next. Before too long, Postecoglou's side were sweeping aside all before them and hoovering up trophies. Martin has a long way to go - with a mountain of work ahead of him - to get to that stage. But he knows that. And he knows it'll take time, as well as more quality players. If he gets found out at Fir Park on Saturday and loses his Premiership opener to Motherwell? Or if there are early slip-ups in the league that leave them trailing Celtic? There will be a queue of people lining up to have a pop - and I'll be in it. Because unlike in Europe, domestically Martin HAS to get results even amidst a period of transition. If it goes haywire on that score, of course he'll deserve flak. But after an emphatic Champions League victory over Panathinaikos this early in his Ibrox reign? That's grossly unfair.
Daily Mirror
9 minutes ago
- Daily Mirror
Motherwell vs Rangers Scottish Premiership prediction, odds and betting offer
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Daily Mirror
9 minutes ago
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