Rangers are interested in Everton’s Mason Holgate, with a market value of around £15M, as the former England U21 international prepares to return to Goodison following a loan at Southampton.

The 27-year-old, with an excellent 126 Premier League appearances under his belt, went out on loan at St Mary’s after falling out of favour last season at Goodison following a knee injury which he returned from in October that year, but was unable to reassert himself in the starting XI.

And with Everton’s plight well-documented, they will need all the quality players they can get and there’s said to be consideration over bringing him north.

Holgate is of the calibre required at Rangers – he’s a 6ft stopper with top-level experience in England’s top flight, plenty of it, even more than the brilliant Jack Butland, but that injury last year was bad luck.

He’s got no real major injury history, but that one, which set him out for 10 weeks or so, set him back with his club and Coady and Tarkowski pretty much seized those places ever since, give or take.

The one thing Holgate lacks is international experience – he’s played a few Europa League matches but that’s it – he has no senior caps, despite being eligible for Jamaica, and sure has no Champions League experience.

But he’s been a very good defender for Everton for many seasons, a career high of 27 appearances in 2020.

Is he realistic for Rangers?

He is, this is the level we seek – Ben Davies and Connor Goldson he isn’t, he’s a top-flight player with a strong CV, and if he came north to Rangers on loan or permanent, he’d expect to play.

He’s a righty, so if Philippe Clement is interested in him, he wouldn’t strictly be a partner for Goldson…

We’ll see if this one develops.