Rangers’ resolve over James Tavernier is finally set to be tested this summer as Al-Ettifaq manager and former Ibrox hero Steven Gerrard pieces together the first serious bid to take Rangers’ captain to Saudi Arabia.

Word is he’s been trying to persuade his bosses at the Saudi League sides to stump up the cash for a player he rates so highly, but until now had been met by opposition.

In Saudi Arabia the whole thing works a bit different to Europe where managers’ demands are generally pretty accommodated immediately.

In this case Gerrard has had to work on the deal with his bosses to make them ‘see the light’ in his view.

And now it seems they have, and the Saudi giants are to offer big money this summer to try to secure Tavernier, and keep their manager happy.

What can Rangers expect?

Stevie has worked on this deal for now about 18 months, wanting Tav from the start of his tenure in the Middle East, but the conditions weren’t in place for it to happen, but he’s got his way over the past 6 months and with Tav now reaching his ‘twilight years’ Rangers would be hard-pressed to reject a big-money offer from the Gulf Stream over the RB.

What numbers we thinking?

It’ll be more than Fashion Sakala got the club, he was a lot more dispensable than Tav is, meaning £4M is well below what Rangers are likely to earn for the club captain.

The truth is given his importance to the club, and Gerrard’s awareness of that and his numbers, the Ibrox giants are looking at well beyond £10M for the lad, which is money we can’t say no to.

Is this the end of Tav and Rangers?

A 32-year-old man reaching his later years given a big-money deal in the hazy climate of Saudi Arabia and playing for his old gaffer…?

We’d be shocked, if this offer arrives, that either the club or the player would say no, in truth.

But time will tell.

Mind you, so does money.