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Football

12th Jun 2018

Steven Gerrard’s latest Rangers signing has been confirmed

Another deal over the line, and it seems another is imminent

Simon Lloyd

A busy summer at Ibrox continues

Steven Gerrard has only officially been in the job a few days, yet has now sealed the club’s fifth signing of the summer.

Croatian defender Nikola Katic has arrived in Glasgow from Slaven Belupo for an undisclosed fee. He’s signed a four-year deal for the club.

Although not part of Croatia’s squad for the World Cup squad, 21-year-old Katic earned his first cap for the national side in May of last year in a friendly against Mexico.

Slaven Belupo finished sixth in the Croatian top flight,with Katic making 34 appearances throughout the campaign.

Speaking to Rangers TV, the defender explained that the opportunity to play for Gerrard was a significant factor in his decision to make the move.

Katic said the chance to play for Gerrard influenced his decision to make the move

“When they told me Steven Gerrard wanted to take me, I told my agent I just need to take my shoes and run to Scotland,” he explained.

“He is a legend of world football and I’m glad to be here with him,” he added.

Katic’s arrival at Ibrox follows deals for  Allan McGregor, Scott Arfield, Jamie Murphy and Ovie Ejaria. It comes within hours of Brighton’s Anthony Knockaert seemingly let the cat out of the bag over another imminent Rangers signing.

Connor Goldson, a teammate of Knockaert at the south coast club, has been heavily linked with a move to Rangers this summer and it was reported last week that the two clubs had agreed a £3.5m deal.

While it’s not exactly a well-kept secret that the defender is on his way to Rangers, Knockaert seemingly confirmed that the deal was as good as done by sending his teammate a farewell message via Instagram.

Rangers finished last season in third in the Scottish Premiership table, 12 points behind champions and Old Firm rivals Celtic and three behind runners-up Aberdeen.