Rangers have lost out to Union Berlin in the race to bring centre-back Danilho Doekhi to Ibrox as a potential replacement for Connor Goldson. 

The lowdown

The Athletic's Jordan Campbell reported in January that Rangers are keen to land the Vitesse Arnhem man.

And there was confidence at the club that they would get the deal done, with Campbell noting that they were 'in a strong position'.

Doekhi's deal at the Eredivisie club expires at the end of the season, which meant he was free to negotiate pre-contract terms with foreign clubs.

The Light Blues are of course in need of a new defender, given that Goldson's future is still unclear.

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The latest

Fabrizio Romano tweeted on Monday morning that Doekhi 'will join' Union Berlin 'as [a] free agent' ahead of the 2022/23 season.

The deal, which runs for three years, has been 'signed and completed'.

The player had 'several options' but has ultimately elected to join Urs Fischer's side, who finished fifth in the Bundesliga to qualify for the Europa League group stages.

The verdict

Rangers may now be bracing themselves for the departure of their own out-of-contract defender at the end of the campaign.

Goldson's expected exit will deplete their centre-back ranks, and while they've already lined up Hearts' John Souttar as a possible replacement, adding a player of Doekhi's European experience would have done more to fill the void.

However, he's only 23 years old, and his contract is only medium-term. Who's to say they don't go back in for the £2.7million-rated ace in the future?

In other news, an ex-Gers manager has his eyes on a Rangers midfielder.