'Strange' £500k Rangers saga gets Celtic hero up in arms as £4m target admits 'I'd like move' – Ibrox transfer bulletin

Chris Sutton says he can't get his head around the ongoing tribunal saga over Connor Barron – and reckons it probably won't be resolved now until after Christmas.

Barron joined Rangers from Aberdeen on a free transfer in the summer and the clubs are yet to settle on a compensation fee. The Dons rejected an offer of just over £500,000 and have taken it to a tribunal to determine how much they are owed. Legally they have been unable to say much publicly, but chief exec Alan Burrows did reveal at the club's AGM last month that they were frustrated at how long it is taking, with a date for the hearing yet to even be set seven months after Barron made the move.

Sutton can see both sides of it though as he told the Press and Journal: “It is strange and probably tells us how far apart both clubs are at with their valuations. Aberdeen have lost a good player in Barron and will want every penny they can. They will want an absolute fortune.

“I know Barron wasn’t in Rangers’ starting XI for the Premier Sports Cup final but the better he does, the worse it is for Rangers in terms of how much they’ll have to pay. I can understand both sides of it. However, as is typical at this time year, they’ll probably now put it (tribunal) to after Christmas.”

Elsewhere Rangers have been heavily linked with Romanian playmaker Darius Olaru in the past and his stock is only rising. He sweeped home several awards at the Romanian Football Awards on Monday night, including midfielder of the year, while he was also named in their team of the season. A £4m fee for Olaru has been mooted for the Steaua Bucharest midfielder, and he was honest about the fact he'd like to leave in 2025.

He told GSP: “For me, it was a perfect year. I think for my colleagues