Rangers boss Steven Gerrard insists that at least at the beginning of the season he wants to buy a new striker to challenge Alfredo Morelos and Jermain Defoe.
Ibrox’s gaffer saw Defoe score against OGC Nice in France last night when Gers won the Veolia Trophy with a 2-0 win.
But Gerrard is firmly convinced that he is looking for an additional front man on the market – AND for a new central defender to replace Niko Katic.
He confessed that his current squad will shrink if fringe players leave the door.
But a striker and a defender are on his priority list as the Rangers prepare for the start of the Premiership season and another Europa League campaign.
When Morelos was suspended last season, the Rangers suffered, especially when Defoe was also injured.
Gerrard said: “Hopefully you will see some additions if we do what we try to do in the transfer market.
“After the winter break, when we were suspended or Jermain had his injuries, it was pretty obvious that we lacked some firepower.
“This is definitely an area that we’re looking at.
“I don’t want to put a number on it, because if we don’t include them in people, we may say that we failed.
“I don’t think it’s the right time to put pressure on the board as they have done me very well over the past two years.
“But we have goals in certain areas and the idea is to make quality signatures that can come in and improve the start 11.
“It is not a question of increasing the squad.
“We are in a phase where we need quality to make the team bigger.”
Since Croatian defender Katic has been at least six months off due to a knee injury, Gerrard also has to find cover in this department.
He was impressed by young Lewis Mayo, but announced that he would likely be loaned out – with a new center coming to Connor Goldson, George Edmundson, and Filip Helander.
Gerrard said: “We have the luxury that Calvin Bassey can also play as a central defender.
“But I have to replace Katic because I need four good middle halves if we look at what we hope for another season with 60 games.
“We love Mayo. His attitude was fantastic and he has really good chances.
“But I think he needs playing time instead of being number four central defender.
“We’ll keep him until we get the right one, and then we’ll go to Lewis to give him 30 games to develop.
“But I have to be selfish with Lewis in the short term.”
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