Report: Rangers now eyeing £7.2m-rated replacement for stalwart who slipped up on Sunday

Rangers are among the clubs in the race to sign an England international goalkeeper this summer, according to The Daily Mail. 

The £32,500-per-week contract of West Brom netminder Sam Johnstone runs until the end of June, at which point he will be free to choose his next club.

The Englishman was the Baggies’ first-choice ‘keeper in the Premier League last season and wound up staying put despite their demotion to the Championship. He’s made 34 league appearances for Steve Bruce’s side, who sit 12th in the table.

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Rangers may need a new goalkeeper for next season, with 40-year-old veteran Allan McGregor also out of contract over the summer.

The Daily Mail‘s Simon Jones and Sam May wrote that Rangers have ‘expressed an interest’ in signing Johnstone, having identified him as a potential replacement for McGregor. However, they face competition from at least four clubs south of the border.

Tottenham Hotspur, who apparently looked poised to sign him at one point in January, want him to provide cover and competition for Hugo Lloris, while recruitment staff at Newcastle United, West Ham United and Southampton have all discussed making a move for the 29-year-old ‘in recent months’ as well.

Johnstone would be an excellent signing for Rangers.

He was unfortunate not to get a move last summer, having been a shining light in an otherwise dour to-flight campaign for West Brom. Johnstone was among the nine best shot-stoppers in the division (‘preventing’ 4.4 goals) and was named Player of the Season by both his team-mates and the club’s supporters.

Even after the Baggies’ relegation, the £7.2m-rated stopper earned call-ups for the first three international windows of the