Birmingham City eyeing up ambitious move for Rangers player | OneFootball

Connor Goldson has been linked with a move to B9

Birmingham City are targeting an ambitious move to prize away Connor Goldson from Scottish giants Glasgow Rangers.

That's according to a report from the Scottish Sun, who claim that former Celtic assistant and new Blues boss, Chris Davies, has pinpointed the experienced central defender as a prime target as the rebuild in B9 continues ahead of the club's first season at League One level since 1995.

The Blues will carry the heavy weight of expectation on their shoulders this season, made no easier by the ambitious plans fronted by American owner Tom Wagner, with the aim unsurprisingly being a first-time promotion back to the Championship.

Davies has already addressed the goalkeepers union at St Andrew's @ Knighthead Park, as Ryan Allsop and Bailey Peacock-Farrell have filled the void left by the departures of the experienced John Ruddy and Neil Etheridge, and this latest potential swoop would go a long way to aiding some much-needed defensive solidity in B9 next season.

As previously highlighted, a report from the Scottish Sun on Sunday night states that Birmingham are plotting an ambitious move for Goldson, who has become part of the furniture at Ibrox under a plethora of managers.

Despite Davies' previous connections with Celtic, as well as working under former Hoops bosses Brendan Rodgers and Ange Postecoglou, the 39-year-old is firmly putting those allegiances to one side in the hopes that the 31-year-old central defender will add some experience to the Blues defence in the third tier.

The report states that Goldson's contract still has two years remaining, and the former Brighton and Hove Albion man remains one of the highest earners at the club, with Salary Sport estimating that his weekly wage actually tops the payroll at the SPFL giants with a figure of £37,000 per week.

Since signing for the Gers under former Aston Villa boss Steven Gerrard in 2018, the current vice-captain has made over 300 competitive appearances for the side, which included 30 starts in the SPFL last term, before sustaining a knee injury in May, just two games after being dropped as Phillipe Clement's side were eventually unsuccessful in their title bid.

Birmingham City may face Saudi Arabia competition for Connor Goldson

Given the two sides' current standpoints, there's no questioning that this transfer would be a major signal of intent from Birmingham, especially when considering the other sides who are also eyeing up the defender's services in the summer window.

It was reported on 17th June by Football Insider that Rangers were beginning to fear the possibility of losing Goldson to Saudi Arabian outfit Al-Ettifaq, currently managed by the aforementioned Gerrard.

Despite being dropped from the starting 11 at such a crucial period of the season, it was reported that Rangers are reluctant to see him depart, whilst the Liverpudlian has remained keen on acquiring the services of the man who featured 38 times in the club's 55th SPFL title win back in 2020/21.

The latest report from the Scottish Sun also claimed that Goldson could be tempted with a fresh challenge should Clement not guarantee him a regular starting berth in 2024/25.

Although a potential return to the West Midlands for the Wolverhampton-born and ex-Wolves man could be tempting, the reality is that Blues would have to pull out all the stops to prize him away from Glasgow into the third tier.

That perhaps isn't fully unrealistic, as transfer guru Alan Nixon recently revealed via his Patreon account that Wagner is looking to aid a promotion charge with a hefty £20m transfer budget for Davies, which would cover both transfer fees and wages.

However, it seems that for any deal to be pushed over the line, Goldson's current estimated wages would need to take a significant cut, as £37,000 per week for a 31-year-old at this level of football would be simply ludicrous in the eyes of many outsiders.

But, when taking the financial ramifications aside, the ambition has to be commended, and Goldson's ability and leadership would be pivotal for Davies to lean on in a season where there is huge pressure in B9.