11 April 2011 McCoist link to Brazil stopper

Ally McCoist has been linked with a swoop for Brazilian defender Douglao – as he gets ready to rebuild his entire defence for next season.

The Rangers manager-in-waiting now knows he will lose Madjid Bougherra this summer after the Algerian revealed he won’t sign a new contract.

McCoist will have to cash in on Boogie with a year of his deal to run – and he will also see skipper David Weir retire. Richard Foster is set to return to Aberdeen after his loan stint, while Sasa Papac has also rejected a new contract offer, leaving Walter Smith’s successor in need of several new defenders.

New scouts Neil Murray and John Brown are already scouring the market for new faces with Brown, who tracked Carlos Cuellar before he came to the club from Osasuna, deployed with the mission of finding defensive options.

And Greek media claim Douglao is a player Rangers are very interested in after his club, Kavala, leaked a supposed enquiry from Scotland.

The 6ft 4in stopper is heading into the final year of his contract after arriving from Nantes in 2009. A figure of around £1.5million is being mentioned.

However, Panathinaikos and Olympiakos are also hovering, but sources in Greece say they are not keen on matching Kavala’s valuation for the player who has been rated as one of the best central defenders in the country this season.

Rangers chief executive Martin Bain has held discussions with Bougherra’s agent about his future, but the man who arrived from Charlton three years ago for £2.5m has made it clear he wants to move on, with the English Premier League his likely destination.

Bougherra – still side-lined with a hamstring strain – said: “Rangers offered me a chance to extend my contract by another two years, but I politely refused.

“I have spent three wonderful years here in Glasgow and I want to try a new challenge. I have one year left of my contract and everything depends on discussions I have with the people in charge of the club.”

Meantime, Vladimir Weiss will see a specialist in London tomorrow for a scan on his foot injury. Rangers are confident he will feature in the title-run in, despite claims his season could be over.

And boss Smith hopes to have Lee McCulloch and Kirk Broadfoot back in his plans this week.