Borna Barisic’s time at Rangers appears to be coming to an end with his Rangers contract set to expire, Alisdair Lamont suggested live on BBC Sportsound.

In response to the Croatian’s benching during the 20 January Scottish Cup victory against Dumbarton, the pundit stated that his presumed exit was a part of a “puzzle to solve” at the position for Philippe Clement. As he did in the four SPFL games prior to the winter break, Ridvan Yilmaz started for the 4-1 triumph, but he has been strongly linked to an exit this month.

Speaking live on the BBC Sportsound commentary of the game in the first half Lamont said (6.10pm): “Borna Barisic on the bench this evening. His contract’s up at the end of the season.

“He looks like he’ll be departing, so Rangers have a bit of puzzle to solve in terms of their left-back situation.”

Turnover

The Light Blues will definitely need to have figured out Yilmaz’s future by then if Barisic does decide to leave at the conclusion of his contract.

The Turkey international appears to be a strong contender to replace the long-term starter at Ibrox right now, but in his one and a half years with the team, he has had false dawns.

Rangers are reportedly interested in left backs this month, and manager Philippe Clement hasn’t completely squashed rumors about the 22-year-old’s future, which implies they could replace him.

What the Gers surely need to avoid is to arrive at the end of the campaign in the situation they are currently in, with questions over the long-term suitability of an alternative to Barisic leading to his time being extended by default. If the club want to keep the 31-year-old on merit then a new deal might make sense, or indeed if transfer interest from the likes of Leeds United would mean banking a fee [Football Scotland, 12 January].

But Barisic has been the regular starter at Ibrox ever since he lost his spot to Calvin Bassey two seasons ago, before the Nigerian international’s big-money departure to Ajax. This is a persistent indication of the general failure of the transfer policy at Ibrox, as Barisic has stayed the starter solely because there hasn’t been a strong enough replacement.

Yilmaz’s recent run of form may have come too late to save his Rangers career if the appropriate offer comes in, but whether it’s for the Turk or his more experienced colleague, some sort of left-back change seems to be imminent.

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