Rangers signing £3 million target would surely seal 31-year-old’s Ibrox exit

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Rangers are reportedly eyeing up a £3 million summer move for Osijek striker Mirko Maric.

The Daily Record have claimed that Gers scouts have been watching Maric, whose stocking is rising following a fruitful campaign in the Croatian top-flight.

Maric has bagged 17 goals so far this season and has proven a real menace for defenders with his physical presence.

It has been his most prolific season to date, and Rangers seemingly like what they see.

Maric was once desribed as the ‘greatest talent’ of the neighbouring Premier League by Dinamo Zagreb sporting director Zoran Mamić, who handed him a seven-year deal in 2014.

TBR’s view

Should Rangers make Maric their third signing from Osijek in the space of a year (Borna Barisic and Eros Grezda being the other two acquisitions), then it will surely spell the end of the road for Kyle Lafferty.

Interestingly, Maric is very much an all-round striker. He is a goal poacher, but can also drift out wide and is difficult to keep tabs on.

At 6ft 2in he is almost the same height as Lafferty, meaning the Northern Ireland international’s services could be deemed surplus to requirements.

Indeed, the Record mentions that Lafferty has ‘fallen out of favour’ at Ibrox, suggesting his days could be numbered.

Essentially Maric and Lafferty are quite similar so there would be little need to keep the latter around, especially off the back of an underwhelming campaign in which he has contributed just six goals for the Light Blues.