Rangers target ex-Serie A man to replace James Tavernier as Scotland international 'added to shortlist'

Tavernier, 34, confirmed he will depart Ibrox this summer upon the expiry of his contract on Wednesday, bringing down the curtain on a successful 11-year spell with the club that has seen him win every domestic trophy, and become the highest scoring defender in British football history in the process.

"To have had the honour of being made captain of this club since 2018 is something I will always be incredibly proud of,” said Tavernier via his official social media page. “Leading this team out, wearing the armband and being trusted in that role has meant more to me than I can properly put into words. It has been the greatest honour of my career to represent and lead Rangers. This club will always be a part of me, and I will always be a part of it.”

While Dujon Sterling has been Rangers’ first choice right-back following his return from an Achilles injury earlier in the campaign, however, in order to manage his minutes as he recovers from a lengthy spell on the sidelines, head coach Danny Rohl has been rotating him with Tavernier in the second half of the campaign, making it highly likely to target additions at full-back this summer.

According to football transfer specialist Ekrem Konur, the confirmation of Tavernier’s exit has led the Rangers recruitment team to draw up a list of four possible candidates to replace their departing skipper, with AZ Alkmaar’s Denso Kasius at the top of the list of players that the club would like to add in the summer.

The 23-year-old attack-minded defender has caught the eye at the AFAS Stadium since joining from Serie A outfit Bologna three seasons ago, and has 16 goal contributions from right-back over the last two seasons, as the club chase a top four spot and a place in the UEFA Europa League qualifiers. Known for his dribbling ability and driving pace, Kasius has created more chances than 92 per cent of other full-backs in the Eredivisie, and has landed comparisons to Real Madrid and England full-back Trent Alexander-Arnold for his ability to create from the flanks.

Konur also names Hammarby’s Hampus Skoglund and Blackburn Rovers’ Ryan Alebiosu amongst the list of potential targets. However, most interestingly, he also says former academy right-back Nathan Patterson is a potential summer transfer option, claiming the Scotland international is one of the names on Rangers’ shortlist.

The 24-year-old departed Ibrox in January 2022, joining Everton for a fee in the region of £11million, but his time at Everton has been disrupted by a series of injury issues that have restricted him to fewer than 20 appearances in the last 18 months for the Toffees. The 23-cap international has played just 239 minutes of league football at the Hill Dickinson Stadium this season and could be on his way out of Merseyside this summer.

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