Rangers preparing bid to sign £10m-rated star

Glasgow Rangers officially confirmed the signing of right-back Ross McCrorie as their second signing of the summer transfer window earlier this week.

The first two signings made by the Light Blues have both been proven Scottish talents, as Lawrence Shankland was the first addition brought to Ibrox on a permanent deal from Hearts.

McCrorie returns to the club where he started his career, signing on a permanent basis from Bristol City, after leaving the Scottish Premiership giants to join Aberdeen in 2021.

The 28-year-old talent played 55 matches at first-team level for the Light Blues before they decided that he was not up to the level that they needed and allowed him to level.

Five years later, Rangers have decided that they need him back at Ibrox and have brought him in as James Tavernier’s replacement, handing him the number two shirt.

Rangers exploring deal for Premier League talent

If the 5-2 win over Falkirk on the final day of the Premiership season proved anything, it was that the Gers needed to improve their defence during the summer window.

McCrorie coming in at right-back was one step to improving the backline, but the club are now looking at a potential change between the sticks, which could be even more impactful.

According to journalist Alan Nixon, via his Patreon, Glasgow Rangers are interested in a deal to sign Hull City goalkeeper Ivor Pandur in the summer transfer window.

The reporter claims that the Tigers, who have just been promoted to the Premier League, are seeking a fee of £10m to cash in on the Croatian stopper.

He adds that the Gers do not want to pay their asking price, though, and McInnes is now preparing an offer to send Jack Butland the other way to lower how much they would have to pay to secure Pandur’s services.

They are said to have turned their attention to the Hull star after looking at Sunderland’s Anthony Patterson, but it remains to be seen whether or not a swap deal would appeal to the Premier League side.

Why Ivor Pandur would be a better Rangers signing than Ross McCrorie

Pandur would be an even better signing for Rangers than McCrorie, in part, because the jury is still out on whether or not the Scottish defender is an upgrade on Tavernier.

The experienced full-back is five years down the line from when the Gers first decided that they did not want him to be a part of their squad, and he has not played two play-off games and has not come close to promotion to the Premier League in England.

McCrorie’s form for Bristol City in the Championship last season does not suggest that he would be a better option than Tavernier in or out of possession, as he scored fewer goals and created fewer ‘big chances’, whilst being dribbled past more frequently by opposing forwards.

These statistics suggest that Rangers have brought in a less effective right-back than Tavernier, possibly to replace him as a starter, which is a concern, at least on paper.

Pandur, meanwhile, has the potential to arrive as an upgrade on Butland between the sticks for McInnes if he can carry his Championship performances over to the Premiership next term.

The Croatia international, who is currently at the World Cup, prevented 5.28 goals based on the xG of the shots against him in the English second tier, keeping 14 clean sheets in the process.

Butland, meanwhile, prevented 2.29 goals based on the xG against him, keeping 12 clean sheets, in the Premiership, which suggests that Pandur would offer more to the team as an out-and-out shot-stopper who can bail his defence out with top-quality saves.

On top of that, Pandur made five errors that led to shots or goals for the opposition in the 2025/26 campaign, which is two fewer than Butland’s seven in 38 matches in the Premiership.

The English goalkeeper made nine errors in all competitions for the Scottish giants, whilst the Croatian only made five in all competitions, and that suggests that the Hull man would be less likely to make major mistakes for McInnes.

Therefore, Pandur would be a much better signing for Rangers than McCrorie because his statistics suggest that he would be an upgrade for the team, whilst the jury is still out on the right-back.