Michael Beale has claimed that ‘one or two’ Rangers players have been offered contracts, and specifically speaking is referring to those who are out of contract, aside from Ryan Kent and Alfredo Morelos.

This means that around two of Scott Arfield, Ryan Jack, Filip Helander, Steven Davis and Allan McGregor have been offered a new deal, and we now know 100% it’s Scott Arfield and Ryan Jack.

Filip Helander will leave, Steven Davis will retire, and Allan McGregor has already been ‘confirmed’ by Michael Beale as leaving this summer.

Which leaves Arfield and Jack as the two who are now looking like a shock U-turn to remain at Ibrox, if they accept the terms.

Ryan Jack almost certainly will, given he’s publicly appealed for a new contract, and despite fans’ misgivings about his fitness, it seems he is nevertheless set to be rewarded for… in truth, for what we’re not totally sure.

Arfield we don’t understand. We want him to stay, absolutely, but this manager doesn’t touch him, doesn’t like him, barely plays him and only uses him as a cameo sub now and then. We cannot fathom why he’d want to stay given he’s being so repeatedly disrespected.

And then there’s the third possibilities – that Beale is fibbing as per usual and that either no deals have been offered to the expiring contracts or that they’ve been offered mediocre contracts which neither is likely to accept.

It is a curious development – we know from plenty of past experience this manager is economical at best with the truth and downright frugal at worst, so it’s hard to trust a single word that comes out of his mouth.

He is forever feeding red herrings and plain fabrications into the press so when he does shovel some truth in there it’s hard to be able to identify it.

That said, we love both Jack and Arfield, and in an idea world where Jack is fit and in form, and Arfield is used and loved, we’d be more than thrilled with both of them staying.

But unfortunately neither seems to be particularly likely.