Jack Butland’s move to Rangers has now collapsed over wages after it was confirmed the ex-England stopper’s wage demands are too high for Rangers, even though the stopper did actually want the Ibrox switch.

As a free agent this summer, Butland will have more leverage for wage demands, which is the clout a Bosman has, and despite a current wage of a healthy £40,000, Butland will seek more for his next contract.

And that’s too much for Rangers, even at £40,000.

It appears Butland isn’t willing to take any kind of pay-cut to join Rangers, with Rangers’ current top-paid player reportedly Connor Goldson with a wage of around £37,000 pw.

Rangers don’t want to make Butland the club’s top-paid player, and won’t offer much more than around £25k-£35k tops, and the Manchester United loanee is said to be unhappy with that and wants more, and Rangers aren’t going higher.

So the deal is now dead in the water it appears.

It’s a pity – he’s a good goalie with bags of Premier League experience, but we cannot spend money beyond our means.

We understand why he wants a big wage, it’s a short career and if you have the power to ask for £50,000, you’re going to do that. But it’s well beyond Rangers’ budget, and it does mean, as we know, that we’ll lose out to a fair few rival sides who can offer that kind of wage.

Unless Butland lowers his wage demands, which appears to be very unlikely at this point, the ex-Stoke man will not be coming to Rangers.

There is also the point that Robby McCrorie’s emergence has changed the climate – Rangers now don’t have to push the boat out to sign a world class goalie, we have a great one on our hands already for ‘free’. But while it looks like Butland isn’t coming after all, Rangers will still need some good talent in that slot to back the current first choice up.

Time will tell who that is.