RANGERS MULL OVER A MOVE FOR McAULEY
FROM BACK PAGE interest from a number of Championship clubs down south with Aston Villa believed to be among the most serious as they attempt to find a replacement for former England skipper John Terry.
But McAuley is still waiting to discover if new Rangers manager Steven Gerrard plans to instruct Allen to table a concrete offer.
The defender only arrived back in the UK yesterday after earning his 77th and 78th international caps against World Cup-bound Panama and Costa Rica.
It’s understood, although he will celebrate his 39th birthday in December, McAuley wants to extend his international career for as long as possible in the hope of smashing through the 100 appearance barrier for his country and also leading them to Euro 2020.
And he believes that a move to Ibrox could help him prolong his playing career at the highest level.
Gerrard though is yet to report to Auchenhowie for the first time since officially becoming the Rangers manager on June 1.
The Scouser has been spotted watching matches at the Toulon tournament in France and also pictured at a concert in Ibiza. But it’s anticipated he will arrive in Glasgow at some point in the next 48 hours – and his top priority remains plugging the holes in a leaky defence which was one of the main contributors to Rangers’ third-place finish in last season’s top flight.
Record Sport understands Gerrard hopes to recruit at least three, possibly as many as four, new central defenders for the upcoming campaign.
Having already been priced out of a move for former Liverpool team-mate Martin Skrtel, Gerrard is still waiting for Allen to tie up a £2.5million deal with Brighton for Connor Goldson.
And he must now decide if McAuley should be added to the shopping list.