RUSSELL MARTIN wants to assess every member of the Rangers squad in person before he sanctions and departures.
And that includes players who barely even kicked a ball for the Glasgow giants last season.
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One such player who has been mooted for an exit this summer is defender Ben Davies.
He has been linked with a return to Birmingham City, after impressing there on loan last year.
The 29-year-old played 44 times across all competitions and helped the cash-rich Midlands club win promotion from League One as division champions.
According to Birmingham World, the Blues have opened talks with Davies regarding a permanent switch.
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But it’s understood Martin won’t let the player leave without running the rule over him in training himself first.
Davies has a year remaining on his Rangers contract so the Ibrox club would be due a fee from Birmingham if they want to take him to St Andrew’s.
The Light Blues squad came back for pre-season this week, and Davies was pictured among the group.
So far, Martin has signed Bournemouth full-back Max Aarons on loan but it’s not without question that he finds a role for Davies in his new-look Gers team.
Martin also wants to give Kieran Dowell, who like Davies was loaned to Birmingham last season, a chance to impress.
He scored five times in 19 league appearances but it’s understood he is behind Gil Vicente’s Kanya Fujimoto on boss Chris Davies’ shortlist ahead of their Championship assault.
Former Rangers winger Scott Wright and ex-Celtic star Tomoki Iwata are part of a Birmingham side with plenty of connections to Scottish football.
Scotland striker Lyndon Dykes is also part of the squad and defender Grant Hanley was on the books last season before being released this month.
The Tom Brady-backed outfit are also reportedly eyeing a stunning move for Kyogo Furuhashi.
After a £10million transfer from Celtic to Rennes in January, Kyogo has struggled for game time in Ligue 1 and the French club are willing to sell him or loan him out during the current window.
Kyogo, 30, has played only six games for Rennes since leaving the Hoops and he remains determined to find a team that would put him back in the frame for a Japan call-up.
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