Rangers recently got linked with a move for Chelsea’s defender Tomas Kalas with Celtic also reportedly in the mix for the star. The defender is currently on loan at Bristol City, and if latest reports from the Scottish Sun are to go by then Bristol City are vowing to keep the Czech defender in England beyond this season.
The defender is being valued at £5m and this is Kalas’ seventh loan spell ever since he joined Chelsea in 2010. We expect Rangers to go after a central defender in the summer transfer window as they are set to lose the services of Joe Worrall and Gareth McAuley in a few months. Moreover, Connor Goldson has also looked shaky on occasions and Steven Gerrard should be after a solid centre half.
Kalas never managed to make it with Chelsea at the top level as he has just four appearances to his name with the Blues. We doubt the defender would add to that tally in the future and it is likely that he is going to go on another loan in the summer or leave the club for a transfer fee. The defender still has a contract until 2021, so the Pensioners might want to offload him permanently in the summer to make some money by selling him.
The 25-year-old defender has made 29 appearances for Bristol City this season and has emerged as a valuable player for them. The Robins are fighting for the playoff spot and would hope to make it to the Premier League by winning the Championship playoffs.
Kalas has also represented his national side Czech Republic 14 times and has a decent amount of experience in the Championship. The defender was on loan for two full seasons with Fulham where he managed to make 76 appearances for them and helped them move to the Premier League.
The fact that Bristol City is looking to sign him after the end of the ongoing season, is going to complicate Rangers’ task of bringing the player to the Premiership. The defender already has a season-long experience of playing for them and might prefer a move with them. Moreover, the Robins are fighting to get to the Premier League so that can also play a part in Kalas’ head.
Rangers though shouldn’t be disheartened now and maybe if the Robins fail to move to the Premier League this season (which is still the more likely option) then the defender might look for a move. The Gers currently have an outside chance of signing him in our opinion, but they should attempt to bring the Czech defender to Ibrox in the summer.
