Russell Martin ready to raid former club Southampton as Rangers manager makes £10m-rated midfielder top transfer target
PLAYMAKER Flynn Downes is top of Russell Martin's wishlist at Rangers — but he will get no favours from his old club Southampton.
Martin took Downes, 26, to the Prem with the Saints from West Ham and previously had him at Swansea.
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Downes could fancy the Scottish Prem over the Championship but the fee will be over £10million — which would be a big chunk of Martin's budget.
He will be busy in the transfer market after being handed £20m to overhaul the squad and may raid England a few times.
Left-back Harry Toffolo is set to quit Nottingham Forest and is interested in a switch to Ibrox after playing only a handful of games late last season.
Martin will inherit Jefte and Ridvan Yilmaz as left-backs, but the Turk has been heavily linked with a return home.
Veteran Leicester City defender Conor Coady is also on Gers' radar.
Meanwhile, Martin insists he has no plans to strip James Tavernier of the Rangers captaincy.
He said: 'He's been the captain for a very long time. If he's playing, I don't see any reason to change that. And if he's not playing, it will force someone else.
'First and foremost, I want to speak to him to explain to me and have a discussion about the last two years, his thoughts on the team.
'To play here as long as he has, to be captain as long as he has, takes a lot of energy. It's not easy.
'It will be down to him in the way he performs and the way he buys into it, which I'm pretty sure he will.'
Rangers fans react to news Russell Martin is their new manager
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