Dujon Sterling could leave Rangers - Bristol City, Derby, & Stoke must prepare | OneFootball

Dujon Sterling could leave Rangers before the deadline after the Scottish outfit's move for Aston Villa's Kosta Nedeljkovic

Dujon Sterling could leave Rangers this summer, with the Scottish outfit confirming the addition of Serbian right-back Kosta Nedeljkovic from Aston Villa, as FLW takes a look at three teams that could be in for his signature before the end of the window.

Sterling, 26, has made 91 appearances for Rangers across all competitions since arriving in Glasgow in the summer of 2023 on a free transfer from Chelsea, scoring three and assisting four.

The Englishman spent time out on loan with the likes of Coventry City, Wigan Athletic, Blackpool, and Stoke City before his switch to Ibrox, where he has consistently struggled with injuries, never truly able to nail down a place in the Gers side under numerous head coaches.

Now, with one year remaining on his current deal, and with Nedeljkovic arriving from Aston Villa, the defender could be left without an obvious role under Derek McInnes, and Rangers could look to cash in whilst they can, as FLW takes a look at three sides that should be monitoring his situation this summer.

Bristol City

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Bristol City haven’t got off to the start they would have hoped for under new head coach Michael Skubala, falling to consecutive home defeats to Walsall and Millwall to begin the new campaign.

The Robins have undergone a huge squad turnover, so will naturally need time to gel, but with Ross McCrorie heading to Rangers, a key component to their success in the past couple of seasons has now gone.

Rio Cardines has joined on loan from Crystal Palace, and George Tanner is a capable option at right-back, though Skubala should be looking for extra quality and experience in that position, and should consider a move for Sterling.

With McCrorie and the incoming Nedeljkovic surpassing Sterling in the pecking order, and Rangers seemingly switching to a wing-back system, Sterling’s minutes look to be more insecure than ever, as Bristol City should look to take the 26-year-old off their hands.

Capable of deputising almost anywhere across the pitch if required, Sterling’s versatility would be something Skubala could utilise to great effect, and one the former Lincoln City boss should be looking to get done ASAP.

Derby County

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John Eustace has continued to stamp his authority on the Derby County squad this summer with the additions of Bobby Clark, Sammie Szmodics, Charlie Taylor, Filip Bilbija, and Alex Mowatt, with the Rams hoping to secure a place in the play-offs this time around.

Playing a 3-4-2-1 shape in their season opener away to Charlton Athletic, which they lost 2-1, Joe Ward maintained his place at right wing-back, whilst the back line was made up of Craig Forsyth, Dion Sanderson, and Sondre Langås.

With Matt Clarke out of action for the foreseeable future, another defensive option or two before the deadline is a necessity, as Sterling should be on Eustace's radar.

With Ward and Max Johnston rotating on the right side of defence, Sterling may find it tough to break into that position, as he could instead fill in at left-back or one of the three defensive positions.

With one year remaining on his deal at Ibrox, Derby could get him in for relatively cheap, and with over a half-century of appearances in the Championship, he knows exactly what the league demands and could adapt relatively seamlessly.

Stoke City

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Stoke City's defensive issues rumble on. The Potters endured injury woes to the likes of Ben Wilmot, Junior Tchamadeu, Maksym Talovierov, Bosun Lawal, Ben Gibson, and Aaron Cresswell across various stages last campaign, as now, both Tchamadeu and Lawal are out of action at the beginning of this season, with the latter taken off at half-time in their home defeat to Swansea City on the opening day.

The Potters have been reported to have registered an interest in young Aston Villa right-back Triston Rowe as of late, but a move for the experienced Sterling may be the better option.

Robins knows the former Chelsea academy star from their time together at Coventry, and Sterling knows Stoke well, having made 28 appearances for the Potters across all competitions during his loan spell there in 2022/23 season.

Football League World exclusively revealed Stoke's interest in re-signing Will Smallbone recently, and a return for Sterling should also be on the cards.

Having played across the back line during his time in the Potteries, it's a role Sterling will already know well, and again, take little to adapt to.

The obvious hurdle in any move would be his subpar injury record, with Stoke likely looking to avoid any more injury problems by any means necessary. If Sterling can get past his injury problems, he would be an excellent pickup for the Potters.