Rangers do not consider Liam Kelly a number one goalkeeper, despite being a “prime target” to return to the club, according to Chris Jack. On June 4, the journalist wrote on the Rangers Review website that the ex-Motherwell captain is an appealing prospect owing to his pricing and “the fact he ticks boxes in terms of UEFA squad registrations”.
However, with backup keeper Robby McCrorie set to leave and bids for star number one Jack Butland expected to emerge this summer, Kelly has been lined up to replace the former rather than the latter. Indeed, if McCrorie were to stay next season, the Rangers would reportedly not make a deal to bring the exiting Fir Park player back. Liam Kelly is not Jack Butland’s replacement at Rangers. With the way things are shaping up at the goalkeeper position this summer, Kelly may have to step in as a number one if he joins Ibrox.
McCrorie’s exit has been planned for a long time, and it’s a marvel he’s waited so long out of loyalty to a club that has consistently overlooked him as a starter. Being behind Allan McGregor and Butland is understandable, but Jon McLaughlin was given the opportunity to start ahead of him two seasons ago, which is less so.
Kelly, 28, would represent a very strong option to back up Butland as a like-for-like swap for McCrorie, having 168 Scottish Premiership games under his belt since leaving Rangers the first time around.
Jack Butland is the undisputed Rangers starter, as long as he stays at Ibrox.
But if a big-money bid arrives for the Englishman that is impossible to refuse later this summer it could suddenly leave Philippe Clement short when the position was arguably the strongest in the squad last term.
A profitable sale back to the Premier League may help pay the transfer market revamp, but it would also add another major item to the list: replacing the man himself, which would not be cheap without sacrificing quality. Rangers could do a lot worse than Kelly, but Clement is likely hoping the supposed market for his star goalkeeper does not develop to the point where he is forced to sell.
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