DAVE KING reckons the time is right for Rangers to cash in on their most valuable assets and look to reinvest for another Premiership title tilt and a crack at the Champions League.

Rangers were able to fend off interest in Ryan Kent and Alfredo Morelos last summer as Steven Gerrard assembled the squad that has gone on to clinch a 55th league flag.

But that task could prove more difficult this time around and there is likely to be renewed speculation over the future of Morelos as well as firm approaches for the likes of Borna Barisic and Glen Kamara in the coming months.

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Rangers must look to maximise their profits in terms of player trading and former chairman King – who put a value of £200million on the squad late last year - reckons there will be title winners heading for the Ibrox exit door sooner rather than later.

 

 

King said: “I think it is right. If I look at the squad, and with my historical knowledge of what the board position is likely to be, I would be very surprised if there wasn’t some player trading during the summer.

“I think the squad we have got at the moment needs to be changed and needs to be improved and there is no point in not moving assets on because you end up with a bloated squad and bloated squads are never happy squads.

“I think Steven understands that so I would be very surprised if there is not some recycling of assets to bring in different qualities and different levels of players.

 

 

"I think it not only makes commercial sense to the club, it also makes football sense on the pitch.

“I actually looked at it again and looked the value of the players quite recently. I’m still happy with that number [of a £200million valuation on the squad]. It’s right to say the exposure to European football has helped to realise some of the value.

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“For example, in talking to Ross Wilson at the time we had a sense of what we thought, say, Aribo might be worth. That was based on his ability and what we thought he could do. But now he has gone out and done it.

“Not only have some the potential values we placed on players been cemented by their performances in Europe, I think it might even have increased the value in certain cases.”