Mixed fortunes of ex-Osijek duo Barisic and Grezda should make Rangers wary on Maric

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Rangers are weighing up a summer bid for striker Mirko Maric from Croatian club Osijek, according to the Daily Record.

They report that Steven Gerrard is keen on the hitman who is the top scorer in the Croatian league with 16 goals this season, and is considering a £3m bid in the forthcoming window.

Gerrard has had a habit of plundering the Croatian market. He has signed both Eros Grezda and Borna Barisic from Osijek as well as getting Nikola Katic in last summer too, who has also played alongside Maric.

Barisic and Grezda have shown signs of life at Rangers but they could not be classified as unmitigated successes.

That shows the difficulties the players from Croatia, while perhaps offering decent value in the market, can struggle to adjust to Scottish football.

Gerrard needs to get his recruitment right this summer, because he brought in a host of players in his first window in charge and there weren’t too many nailed on successes.

And Maric could well be the man to boost the Gers’ strike force, but as it stands, he would be a third choice in the pecking order and £3m might be better spent elsewhere.

Either way, Gerrard should be wary about his habit of bringing in players from Croatia, because it hasn’t been the most successful so far.