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There were a number of interesting talking points from Tuesday’s AGM, none more so than an update on Alfredo Morelos and Ryan Kent's contract situations.

Both players have yet to commit their immediate futures to the club and are free to talk to potential suitors in January.

They are arguably Rangers' most valuable assets and have contributed a great deal over the last few years but it seems almost inevitable they’re headed for pastures new.

Sporting director Ross Wilson was grilled by shareholders at the event with one asking why the duo have been allowed to run down their contracts.

Wilson replied: “They are not being allowed to run their contracts down.

"We would absolutely, and Michael said it in the press conference, like those two players you have mentioned to commit their futures to Rangers.

"However, for a player to sign a contract and stay here, there needs to be certainly two parties willing to commit – the football club and the player.

"You also need the agent, you sometimes need the wife, you sometimes need the mum and dad and everyone involved.

"The two players involved – Ryan and Alfredo – are two very different situations.

"I don’t think it is fair to go into why they are different but they are different situations.

"There is definitely a willingness from the club for the boys to stay.”

Chairman Douglas Park also, perhaps surprisingly, weighed in and added some clarity amid some indecisive and cagey language.

He said: "Can I just add, that the board have tried to negotiate with those players. There comes a stage, like in any negotiation, where you try to settle.

"If the terms that maybe people are looking for are unattainable, you sometimes have to accept that you have done your best."

Park’s words are telling and suggest there is a degree of resignation amongst the Ibrox hierarchy that the duo's time in Govan is coming to an end.

If we analyse their contribution to the club in closer detail, no one can deny they have both been great servants. In Morelos’ case, although the disciplinary record has been far from exemplary, the Colombian has paid back every penny and then some of the £1m Rangers forked out to HJK Helsinki for his services back in the summer of 2017.

El Bufalo is now the club’s all-time leading European goalscorer and played a major role in helping deliver title 55. There is a strong argument had he steered clear of injury last term that he would’ve been the difference in the Europa League final.

Rangers’ run to Seville was heroic given they did so without a recognised striker from the semi-final onwards. In Morelos, they certainly missed someone who relished the competition and you can’t help but feel he would’ve etched himself into Ibrox folklore for eternity if he was on the pitch against Eintracht Frankfurt.

Wilson confirmed bids were rejected for the pair prior to the title-winning campaign which proved to be the correct call as both played their part in the record-breaking invincible season.

Of the two, the one that will hurt most in terms of losing out on a hefty transfer fee is Kent. Having spent £7.5m to entice him to the club from Liverpool following a successful loan spell, to watch the 26-year-old walk out the door for nothing is a boot in the proverbials.

He is someone who has regularly been linked with moves to the English Premier League and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him strut his stuff down south next season or even as early as next month if a bid is tabled that meets Rangers’ valuation.

Kent, like Morelos, has proven to be value for money over the piece despite his form being relatively mercurial this season. He is someone who lacks a cutting edge in front of goal and his confidence has, at times, been an issue. However, in the here and now, he is still the club’s most threatening outlet and someone who should continue to play unless a more suitable candidate suddenly emerges.

In truth, there's an argument that offering one to the Colombian would be rewarding past glories.

Of the two, Kent is the one more deserving of a new contract given the contribution over recent months but it appears there is an impasse difficult to resolve. 

Should both move on, there is no doubt they will depart with the best wishes from the majority of Rangers supporters but it must be stressed that allowing two highly valuable assets to walk out the door for nothing cannot be allowed to continue if the club wish to compete at the top level.

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