McCoist urges Jelavic to snub Liverpool

Ally McCoist hopes Nikica Jelavic would favour the opportunity to win further silverware at Rangers over financial incentives from the Barclays Premier League in January.

The Croatian striker was the subject of a failed £6.5million bid from Leicester in August towards the end of the transfer window, but is also wanted at Liverpool, Sunderland, West Brom and QPR.

McCoist admits Rangers cannot compete financially with clubs south of the border but believes the Glasgow giants still have plenty to offer the striker if he remains at Ibrox.

He said: "It's one of the selling points, there is a greater opportunity at a club like this to compete for major honours.

"We fully appreciate, and are well aware, that financially we cannot compete with the vast majority of the teams in the top two divisions down south.

"That's just the nature of the beast at the moment.

"You have to weight it up. A lot of players this season chose not to come to us and to go down south or stay down south and that's something we have to deal with."

McCoist admits Rangers would have to consider any sizeable offers received for the player next month.

He added: "I've definitely got the support of the board, I don't think there is any doubt about that.

"I also do appreciate that we are no different from any other club in the respect that, if a bid comes in for any of our players which we find really acceptable and appealing, you would have to consider it, like every club in the country. I don't think we are any different.

"But everybody is aware of the importance of keeping our important players."

Former manager Walter Smith warned earlier in the week that Rangers would have to quickly reinvest any cash for Jelavic back into the playing squad if they did lose their star striker.

But McCoist says that is not a conversation he has had yet with chairman Craig Whyte.

He said: "We will cross that bridge when we come to it and discuss it. There is nothing set in stone, as there wouldn't be at any other clubs.

"We need forward players at the moment so it goes without saying if you sold one of your forward players you would then doubly need forward players."

Source: Daily Mail

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