Rangers keen on Commons deal as Smith seeks versatility

Commons has completed his move to Celtic (GETTY IMAGES)

The Rangers manager Walter Smith has revealed that Kris Commons is a January target as he seeks to add versatile players to his squad this month.

Smith had previously stated he was keen to add two loan signings – a forward player and a defender – until the end of the season following the departure of Kenny Miller in a reported £400,000 move to Bursaspor last week.

As far as Smith is concerned, Commons fits the bill and he refused to rule out an instant move for the Derby and Scotland winger, who is out of contract in the summer. "He's someone we would be interested in trying to get," he said. "We have made an enquiry and we are in talks with Derby to see what the situation is with him.

"It's important, with us having a small squad of players, if we do get a player in that he can play in more than one position. Kris can do that.

"He's in exactly the same position that Kenny Miller was in last week, where his contract expires at the end of the season.

"I don't do the deals. [The chief executive] Martin Bain carries out that job. He was in discussions with them this morning but so far I haven't heard from him."

Rangers' coffers could be boosted further without having to sell any more players if Charlie Adam moves from Blackpool, as is his wish. The Ibrox side are due a sell-on fee for their former midfielder, who has already been the subject of failed bids from Liverpool, Birmingham and Aston Villa in this transfer window.

However, Smith admits he has no idea whether he would be given any of the cash from a potential Adam sale to spend on new players. He said: "We would certainly get a percentage of the transfer fee but where that money would go, I don't know.

"He's a good lad, Charlie, and he seems to be doing very well in the Premiership. We are all pleased for him. If he gets his move to a big club, that would be great for him."

Smith has also been linked with moves for the former Rangers strikers Kris Boyd and Nacho Novo, who quit last summer to join Middlesbrough and Sporting Gijon respectively. "It's a simple one, that one," said Smith when asked about Boyd's possible return to Ibrox.

"We couldn't afford to pay the money that Middlesbrough were paying last season and we are still in that position where we can't afford to pay it now. It's just a situation where Kris left us to go to a club who could pay him more money. We couldn't pay him that money and we still can't and that's the situation."

On Novo, he added: "Whatever we are going to do in the transfer market between now and it finishing, we will do. I would hope we can find something to our liking in the next week or so. If not, we'll go with the group we've got."

Meanwhile, Smith has welcomed a quick return to action as Rangers prepare to face Hibernian in the Premier League tomorrow night following defeat to Hearts at the weekend. He said: "We are pleased to be getting another game after our game at the weekend. There were mixed emotions for us in terms of playing really well but losing the game.

"Hopefully we can go to Easter Road, where we would expect every bit as tough a match as we got at Tynecastle, and do as well but with more of a cutting edge, that was missing on Saturday."