Former Scottish Premiership striker now pundit Frank McAvennie has claimed that there is 'not a chance' that Leon King leaves Glasgow Rangers in January.

The Lowdown: Big names circle

It was reported last week that two clubs in the UEFA Champions League have joined the race to sign King in the January transfer window.

Bundesliga pair Bayer Leverkusen and Eintracht Frankfurt have joined Leeds United, Newcastle United and Manchester United from the Premier League in the race for his signature, as his current deal at Ibrox is set to expire in 2024.

The Latest: 'Not a chance'

Speaking to Football Insider, McAvennie has claimed that there is 'not a chance' that King leaves in January, as Rangers have so many central defenders out injured at the moment.

The 62-year-old said: “Not a chance. They have not got any centre-halves.

“If they are going to sell him, they have to say ‘you cannot have him now’. They have not got any players. "They have so many players out injured, it is only [James] Sands and King now. Not a chance they will let him go, I cannot see it happening.“ [web_stories_embed url="https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/rangers-news-5/" title="Rangers news!" poster="" width="360" height="600" align="none"]

The Verdict: Would be silly

It would be silly for Giovanni van Bronckhorst and Rangers to let go of King in January, given their injury situation at centre-back. They only really have him and Ben Davies to can call upon at the moment, while defensive midfielder Sands can also play as a centre-half. Nonetheless, having the likes of Connor Goldson, John Souttar and Filip Helander unavailable is certainly not ideal, especially given that their hectic fixture schedule means that they are playing in every midweek up until the FIFA World Cup starts in Qatar. With so many injuries at the heart of the defence, the Gers may even be regretting letting both Calvin Bassey and Leon Balogun go in the summer.