Rangers star Alfredo Morelos in eight word tribute to Leon Balogun after Ibrox departure

Alfredo Morelos has sent Leon Balogun an 'I will miss you' message after the defender was free to leave Rangers following the expiry of his contract.

The Nigeria international made it clear following the Europa League Final defeat to Frankfurt and the Scottish Cup Final win over Hearts that he would love to stay at Ibrox after 'falling in love with the club'. He was signed initially by now Aston Villa boss Steven Gerrard and went on to make 65 appearances in all competitions during his time in Glasgow.

Giovanni van Bronckhorst's men have reported back for pre-season training and kicked off their schedule with a 3-2 win over Partick Thistle. They are gearing up for Champions League qualifiers in a matter of weeks before they begin their quest to recapture the Premiership title from rivals Celtic. One man who won't be part of it is Balogun, who is on the look out for a new club and his former team-mate Morelos has paid tribute to his pal online by uploading a picture of the duo together with eight word message to the stopper.

Taking to his Instagram stories, he wrote: "My brother, I will miss you so much."

The Colombian hitman is continuing to work his way back to full fitness after his season ending thigh injury suffered on international duty.

It ruled him out of Rangers' run-in but he's working hard behind the scenes to go into the new season fully fit and flying.

However, with just 12 months to run on his current contract, transfer speculation continues to build over his future with no fresh terms agreed as of yet.

Fellow key stars Joe Aribo - who has been linked with clubs down south -Ryan Kent and Ryan Jack are amongst a group who also only have one year to run.