Glasgow Rangers signed off for the winter break with a convincing 3-1 win over Kilmarnock on Tuesday thanks to goals from Ross McCausland, Abdallah Sima, and Todd Cantwell.
The Light Blues remain eight points adrift of rivals Celtic at the top of the Scottish Premiership table but still have two games in hand over them.
Philippe Clement has already secured one trophy in charge of the club – the League Cup – and will be eyeing up more pieces of silverware before the end of the season.
He could look to use the January transfer window, which has already brought the arrival of Fabio Silva on loan from Wolverhampton Wanderers, to add to his options.
The Belgian head coach has confirmed that the Gers will be "very active" as they look at plenty of potential signings to bolster their squad.
Rangers transfer news – Owen Beck
It was recently reported by DaveOCKOP that the Gers are one of the clubs eyeing up a possible swoop to sign Liverpool left-back Owen Beck.
The impressive youngster spent the first half of the 2023/24 campaign on loan with Dundee in Scotland and the Reds decided to activate a break clause in that deal to bring him back to Anfield this month.
This has opened up the door for other teams to pursue a temporary move for the young defender and Celtic and Rangers are both said to be keen on a loan for his services during the second half of the season.
It is said that Jurgen Klopp will give Beck an opportunity to impress him this month whilst Andy Robertson and Kostas Tsimikas both remain out injured.
However, if Robertson is able to return to first-team action before the end of January then they could decide to loan the talented gem out and Celtic and Rangers would then 'battle' it out to secure his signature to bolster their respective squads.
Left-back is an area of the squad that could need surgery this year as experienced Croatia international Borna Barisic is out of contract at the end of the season.
His current deal at Ibrox is due to expire at the end of May and this means that he is currently free to speak to foreign clubs to put pen to paper on a pre-contract ahead of the summer.
Unless Rangers agree a new deal with the Croatian battler, this window is their last opportunity to recoup some money on him if they decide to cash in over the coming weeks.
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Meanwhile, Italian journalist Gianluca Di Marzio has reported that Hellas Verona are interested in a deal to sign Ridvan Yilmaz from the Scottish giants.
They are in the market for a left-back and have identified the Turkey international as a target, although there is no suggestion that the Gers are willing, or looking, to sell him.
Whether the club decide to move Yilmaz on or not, Clement and recruitment chief Nils Koppen could land a big upgrade on Yilmaz by winning the race for Beck's signature.
Ridvan Yilmaz's season in numbers
The 22-year-old dynamo has finally had a decent run of appearances in the first-team for Rangers this season after a difficult first year at the club.
He only played nine Premiership matches, and started eight, in the 2022/23 campaign after his permanent move from Besiktas in the summer of 2022.
The Turkish full-back has already beaten that tally this term with 13 league appearances and nine starts after 20 matchdays for the Gers.
Yilmaz has showcased his attacking quality from left-back with one assist and 1.8 key passes per match to go along with four 'big chances' created in total.
He has also had to do his fair share of defending with 1.9 tackles and interceptions combined and 3.7 ball recoveries per match across his 13 outings.
Opposition players have been able to dribble past him 0.8 times per game and the former Besiktas man has won 55% of his duels in total, which shows that he has been able to handle the physical nature of Scottish football this term.
Rangers could now land a big upgrade on Yilmaz by swooping to sign Beck from Liverpool, as the youngster has outperformed the former Besiktas man in the Premiership so far this season.
Owen Beck's season in numbers
The 21-year-old whiz caught the eye during the first half of the campaign whilst on loan at Dundee before the Reds decided to recall him at the start of the month.
Beck established himself as a regular starter down the left flank with 17 starts in what was just his second first-team loan, after five appearances in League One with Bolton last term.
Appearances
Five
Starts
Two
Goals
Zero
Assists
Zero
Duel success rate
28%
The Welsh dynamo produced more quality as an attacking force than Yilmaz with two goals, two assists, and 2.0 key passes per match for Dundee.
This shows that he has the ability to provide a greater threat at the top end of the pitch as the Liverpool youngster could offer more as a goal threat and create chances for his teammates more frequently.
Beck, who was once described as a "spectacular" left-back by talent scout Jacek Kulig, also showcased his terrific defensive qualities for the Scottish side.
The Gers target made an outstanding 4.2 tackles and interceptions combined and 4.9 ball recoveries per match in his 17 starts for Dundee, whilst he also came out on top in 55% of his duels.
These statistics indicate that Beck could cut out far more opposition attacks per game than Yilmaz with his ability to make defensive interventions at left-back to win possession back for his team.
Therefore, the £2.8k-per-week ace could be a big upgrade on the current Gers defender due to his superior output as both an offensive and defensive contributor, which has been proven in the Scottish top-flight already this season.
However, this does not mean that Rangers should cash in on Yilmaz amid interest from Hellas Verona as he could compete with Beck for a starting spot, whilst Barisic could be moved on as the Croatian veteran heads towards the end of his contract with the club.
