In a recent interview, the former Scottish Premiership centre-forward, Noel Whelan, discussed the contract of Glasgow Rangers left-back, Borna Barisic, amid reported interest in the Rangers star.

So far this season, Barisic has been a crucial part of Steven Gerrard's title-winning side, with the defender scoring one goal and providing five assists over his 30 Scottish Premiership fixtures, as well as averaging a highly impressive WhoScored match rating of 7.35 - ranking him as Gers' fifth-best performer in the Scottish top flight.

However, it would appear as if the 28-year-old's displays for Rangers have caught the eye of West Ham United, who were reported to be interested in the Croatia international during the January transfer window.

Despite this reported interest, in recent comments made to Rangers TV, Barisic claimed that he was very happy in Glasgow, and, speaking to Football Insider, Whelan suggested that the left-back's comments could be a hint that he would like to extend his stay at Ibrox.

He said: "That could be him hinting he wants to extend his contract. You’ve just won the Scottish Premiership. Why would you want to go anywhere else? He's had a fantastic season. You've got to be happy where you are.

"Under Steven Gerrard and the rest of the coaching staff there, they are obviously really enjoying their training and generally being at the football club. You've got to be optimistic about where the club's going. Plus you're going to be in the Champions League next season."

Transfer Tavern Take

Considering the fact that Barisic's current contract at Rangers runs until the summer of 2024, with the Croatian last signing a new deal with the club towards the start of 2020, perhaps Whelan could be reading slightly too far into the defender's recent comments.

Having said that, if West Ham are indeed interested in the 28-year-old this summer, perhaps it would not be the worst idea for Gerrard to offer Barisic an improvement on his current £18,000-per-week contract at Ibrox.

In other news: this source dropped Rangers' plans for a sensational summer signing; 'outstanding' 25-goal star in the mix - find out more here!