Alfredo Morelos, Ryan Kent, Allan McGregor, Scott Arfield and Filip Helander to leave Rangers this summer; the club will pay tribute to the departing players at their final home match of the season against Hearts on Wednesday night, live on Sky Sports
Tuesday 23 May 2023 19:24, UK
Alfredo Morelos and Ryan Kent are among five senior players who will leave Rangers this summer.
Allan McGregor, Scott Arfield and Filip Helander will also depart when their contracts expire.
Rangers say long-term injury casualty Steve Davis, whose deal is also ending, "remains in discussions to continue working with the club's medical team to support his return to full fitness".
The club will pay tribute to the quintet at Wednesday's home game with Hearts, live on Sky Sports.
Michael Beale had made no secret of his plan to overhaul the squad this summer as they look to challenge Celtic for the Scottish Premiership title next season and qualify for the Champions League again.
McGregor, who has played over 500 games for the club across two spells, will be honoured with a testimonial match against Newcastle United on July 18.
Morelos joined the club from HJK Helsinki in 2017 and is Rangers' top European goalscorer.
He had been the club's first-choice striker but his form had dipped over the last two seasons and he was dropped from the squad earlier this season due to concerns about his fitness and attitude.
Rangers signed Kent after he impressed on loan from Liverpool in the 2018-19 season and the winger played a major part in the club's title win in 2021.
A new deal could not be agreed with the manager previously suggesting the player would be moving on.
Arfield moved to the club in 2018 and had played over 230 times for the club, often making an impact from the bench including his late double as Rangers came from behind to beat Aberdeen in December.
Helander made an impact when former manager Steven Gerrard signed him from Bologna, but a number of injuries limited his appearances.
Beale suggested the decision over Arfield was one he agonised over.
"Scott pulls on the heartstrings because as a man and a person he's been absolutely fantastic," he said.
"He is adored by the fans as well as players and staff but it was a really amicable on-going conversation around his game-time, players coming in and how the squad will look. A difficult decision, but I think it's right for all parties."
The Rangers boss also paid tribute to the four other players who will leave this summer.
"Individually they've made excellent contributions and as a group we're losing a lot of experience and quality.
"McGregor, a Hall of Fame member, has been a fantastic servant for the club in two periods and has had many fantastic moments for this club where he has shown his class.
"We have not had Helander available for a long time through injury but his partnership with Connor Goldson was probably the foundation for the league-winning season in 2021 when we were invincible.
"Ryan Kent's contribution has been fantastic, certainly in big matches, Europe and domestically.
"This season has not gone the way Ryan would like to go but an excellent player for Rangers.
"And Alfredo, for the outlay to what we got back, he has made an outstanding contribution to the club. Top goalscorer in Europe for Rangers and was player of the year last year.
"They have all made big contributions to the club but it is a sign that there will be change to the club this summer. You will start to see some announcements."
Follow every Rangers game in the Scottish Premiership this season with our live blogs on the Sky Sports website and app, and watch match highlights for free.
Want the Rangers latest? Bookmark our Rangers news page, check out Rangers' fixtures and Rangers' latest results, watch Rangers' goals and video, keep track of the Scottish Premiership table and see which Rangers games are coming up live on Sky Sports.
Get all this and more - including notifications sent straight to your phone - by downloading the Sky Sports Scores app and setting Rangers as your favourite team.
