As reported by The Daily Record, Rangers are set to step up their interest in Scotland international Russell Martin, if they can get rid of Bruno Alves during this month’s transfer window.
What’s the story?
The Light Blues have already been fairly busy in the transfer market this month, offloading the likes of Carlos Pena and signing left winger Jamie Murphy from Brighton & Hove Albion.
Now their defence is set to come under the spotlight and fans could be soon saying goodbye to another Pedro Caixinha signing.
The Daily Record reports that the club are looking to free up wages before firming up interest in Norwich City centre-back Russell Martin.
The paper say that Bruno Alves is attracting interest from Qatar and should a bid materialise, it would be welcomed by the Ibrox club, prompting Graeme Murty to pursue a loan move for the Scotland cap.
Martin may not have as illustrious a career behind him as Alves, but would he be a more functional choice for the Ibrox side?
Is Martin a better option than Alves?
When Bruno Alves signed for Rangers it was an exciting time for supporters to see such a decorated international defender make a move to Glasgow, however it’s fair to say the move hasn’t quite worked out.
Whether it’s been because of injury or poor form, Alves has disappointed fans who were hoping he could be the kind of leader their defence needs to compete for major honours in Scotland.
At his peak, Alves is a far more accomplished defender than Martin, but the prospect of him having a successful Rangers career now seems remote and the Light Blues could do worse than the Norwich City man.
Rated at £2.25m by Transfermarkt, Martin has excellent experience of his own to draw upon having been a regular in the English Premier League and Championship for the last seven seasons before this one, alongside making almost 30 appearances for Scotland.
The Record say he is eager to sign on at Ibrox, which is the kind of attitude Rangers badly need if they’re to ever close the gap on Celtic. Martin could be to Rangers what Alves wasn’t, a reliable leader that can excel in their defensive line.