Barisic will breathe sigh of relief as Gutman snubs Rangers for Celtic

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Andrew Gutman is closing in on a move to Celtic, according to The Daily Record. Celtic are set to seal this deal within the next 24 hours.

This is a major blow for Rangers, who reportedly wanted to sign him. Gutman had a trial spell with the Gers over the Christmas period and was offered a contract at Ibrox, according to American Soccer Now.

With Borna Barisic struggling with injuries this season and Lee Wallace frozen out, Steven Gerrard was hoping Gutman would bolster his left-back department.

The 22-year-old had been playing for Indiana Hoosiers – a university team in the United States. But Rangers might have to look elsewhere after bitter rivals Celtic won the race for the American.

While this is a blow for Rangers, one man will be breathing a sigh of relief. Barisic has had a difficult season after completing a move from Osijek and did not need the added competition.

The 4-cap Croatia international has only managed 12 outings since his summer switch but would have been targeting the second half of the campaign to kick on.

Now that Rangers have missed out on Gutman, Barisic’s path to the first-team looks clear. The 26-year-old will now be eyeing a run in the first-team ahead of their title push.