Greek outlet Sportime reported that AEK Athens could soon open formal talks to sign a replacement left-back. The implication is obvious. James Penrice is available if someone hits the right price. Transfer Feed picked up the trail quickly, naming Rangers as a likely landing spot if the Athens club decide to cut ties.

Rangers eye familiar face in left-back pursuit

It is a quick turnaround. Penrice is 27. He only arrived at the Agia Sophia Stadium last summer in a £2m move from Hearts, but his first year abroad didn’t go to plan. AEK still hold the cards here because his contract runs until June 2028, with two years left. Even so, Rangers might find a bit of leverage because the player looks keen on a move back to Britain, and the Greeks seem perfectly willing to chat. Expect the eventual fee to drop below that initial £2m mark.

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Penrice managed 20 appearances in the Greek Super League last term. That amounts to 1,367 minutes on the pitch. Zero goals. Seven yellow cards. He averaged 1.71 tackles and 0.86 interceptions per 90 minutes. Frankly, those metrics do not jump off the page, especially for a team that walked away with the league title.

A clearance rate of 2.83 per 90 tells a specific story too. He spent plenty of time pinned back, dealing with fires. That discipline record is another worry. Seven bookings in just 20 matches looks risky for a full-back expected to press high up the pitch in a frantic system. Not a total disaster, but certainly not convincing. Hence the transfer talk.

Nobody is questioning his underlying quality. His final season at Hearts was superb. He cleaned up at the club’s player of the year awards and booked a spot in the PFA Scotland Team of the Year for 2024-25. It was brilliant. Easily one of the most complete left-back campaigns seen in the Scottish Premiership for a long time. The problem is consistency. One stellar year in Edinburgh followed by a messy season in Greece leaves a massive question mark over his current level.

T4O’s take: Rangers should think carefully before making the move

GLASGOW, SCOTLAND – APRIL 19: James Penrice of Hearts looks dejected after the team’s 2-1 defeat in the Scottish Gas Scottish Cup Semi-Final match between Hearts and Aberdeen at Hampden Park on April 19, 2025, in Glasgow, Scotland. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

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The logic is a bit thin. McInnes has been very specific about what he wants. A left-sided centre-back, a right winger, and a central midfielder top his shopping list. A left-back was not explicitly mentioned. That is a massive detail. Rangers relied on Jayden Meghoma on that side for large chunks of last season before Tuur Rommens arrived in January. Rommens was exquisite. Now, though, the loan players have packed up and gone. A massive hole needs plugging on that side of the pitch. The vacancy is real. The solution is what needs debating.

The Hearts version of Penrice was worth buying. He overlapped constantly, put dangerous balls into the box, and tracked back with real intensity. The AEK version brings too many doubts. Getting booked seven times in 20 games points toward a tactical mismatch, or perhaps just a player completely caught out by the speed of a new league. Rangers will be chasing Celtic. They cannot afford a gamble. They need someone who hits the ground running, not a project who needs to rediscover his confidence.

Corrie Ndaba is the other name floating around this month. He covers both left-back and centre-back. That feels like a much smarter fit for what McInnes actually requested. Given they cost roughly the same, that kind of versatility is gold for a squad currently being rebuilt from scratch. A cut-price deal changes things. If AEK drops the price significantly below £1m, and Penrice accepts he will have to fight for his shirt, it makes sense. Rangers just cannot justify spending anywhere near the fee the Greek side shelled out a year ago.