Leon King set for Rangers loan exit as Philippe Clement targets January switch to boost defender's development

Rangers boss Philippe Clement is ready to sanction a January loan for Leon King.

The 19-year-old has been left out of the Light Blues squad in recent weeks. Clement knows King is highly-rated but at this stage of his career, he can’t guarantee him regular first-team action. The Rangers boss is now prepared to look at suitable options for the centre-back in the January window.

King played a lot of football last season and in a number of Champions League games. If a loan was to aid his development then Rangers would consider the move. The problem for him is Connor Goldson and Leon Balogun have cemented the centre-half pairings and Dijon Sterling and John Souttar are behind them. There are a number of Rangers players, like Kieran Dowell and Ridvan Yilmaz, who are also struggling for game time and could also look at potential January moves.

Rangers chairman John Bennett said at the AGM this week there will be money for Clement to strengthen his squad.

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