Rangers could need to part with as much as £12m if they are to acquire the services of Croatian duo Mirko Maric and Lovro Majer.
That is according to Filip Mishov, a freelance journalist covering football in the Balkans, who claimed via @fmishov on Twitter that Rangers are targeting players from the Croatian leagues and has name-checked the pair.
According to Mishov [via Daily Record], the ‘Gers are “interested” in Osijek striker Maric and Dinamo Zagreb attacking midfielder Majer, with the Daily Record adding that the former has been on their radar since last summer.
Maric is a 24-year-old striker who has been in magnificent scoring form for Osijek this season, with 16 goals in 23 appearances in all competitions in the current campaign, a return of 0.7 goals per game.
His 16 goals have been scored in 1,981 minutes of game-time, an average of one goal every 123.81 minutes.
While that is a decent return in its own right, it is inferior to the averages posted by Rangers’ two most prolific strikers Alfredo Morelos and Jermain Defoe.
The Colombian has struck 28 goals in 35 matches this term (0.8 per game) and has played for 2,339 minutes, which works out at one goal per 83.54 minutes.
The veteran Englishman has 14 goals to his name from 26 matches, but while his 0.54 goals per game ratio is lower than Maric’s, Defoe has notched his 14 in just 1,044 minutes of action, with a goal every 74.58 minutes.
Dinamo Zagreb playmaker Majer (21) has yet to find the net from 16 appearances so far this season and has provided four assists, the most recent of which came in mid-August. [via TransferMarkt]
He has started eight times for his team in domestic league action but was given just nine minutes of game-time in the Champions League group stage. [via TransferMarkt]
He has played exclusively in a central attacking midfield role in 2019/20, which doesn’t seem to make him an ideal fit for the 4-3-3 formation usually preferred by Steven Gerrard at Rangers.
With Maric having an inferior goals-per-minute ratio to Morelos and Defoe, and Majer’s standard position not complementing Gerrard’s preferred formation, there seems a real possibility that the duo could be backup players at Rangers if they were to come to Ibrox.
Also, with the ‘Gers only spending more than £5m on a single player once in the last 15 years (as per TransferMarkt), the reported valuation of £12m for two players who may not be guaranteed starters seems excessive, so Rangers ought to weigh up this double deal very carefully and assess whether it really represents good value.
Rangers fans, do you think £12m is an excessive asking price for Maric and Majer or should they roll the dice in order to entice the duo to Ibrox? Join in the discussion by commenting below!
