Mark Warburton hints at Joey Barton move to Rangers
Friday 20 May 2016 07:21, UK
Rangers manager Mark Warburton has told Sky Sports News HQ that he's keen to add experience to his team with Burnley's Joey Barton.
The 33-year-old midfielder visited Murray Park training ground over the weekend to discuss a potential move to Ibrox, according to Sky sources.
Barton has reportedly been offered a one-year contract at Burnley after helping them secure the Sky Bet Championship title, but no agreement has been reached.
Rangers are preparing for their future in the Scottish Premiership after securing promotion back to the top flight with last month's 1-0 win over Dumbarton. Warburton believes Barton, who won Burnley's Player of the Year award, would be a good addition to the squad.
"Joey is a very talented player," Warburton told Sky Sports News HQ. "He's a Burnley player still. He's a very talented individual. He offers the experience and maturity that we need to add to the squad.
"They are Championship team of the year after a fantastic season for Joey, I'm sure he has a lot of options. All we can try and do is show him what Rangers represents, the opportunity we represent and just see where that goes."
The Scottish club have also been linked to New York Cosmos midfielder Niko Kranjcar with Warburton said to have travelled to the States to discuss terms with the Croatian.
Warburton said: "There are lots of options we are looking at. I don't like to talk about one specific player. What we have to do is get that balance. We have had a young, hungry team, superbly marshalled by the likes of Kenny Miller and Lee Wallace.
"Yes we need some maturity and experience but we don't want to lose the energy and intensity of how we play the game."
Liverpool midfielder Jordan Rossiter and Accrington pair Josh Windass and Matt Crooks are the latest players to sign with the Gers.
