CELTIC legend John Hartson has revealed that he almost signed for Rangers – after leaving the Parkhead club.
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Rangers initially rejected the opportunity to sign the Welsh forward after he had a medical with the club during Dick Advocaat’s spell in Glasgow.
He had been in line to sign on the same day as Ronald de boer but an issue was flagged up with Hartson’s medical and a deal never materialised.
He would however move to Parkhead one year later in 2001 and go onto score 110 goals for Celtic. In 2006 he left the club but revealed that there was a second approach from Rangers after his stint with their Old Firm rivals.
Speaking on GO Radio, he opened up about a phone call with the then Rangers chairman David Murray in regards to a return to Glasgow.
“It was a reporter that mentioned his name to me,” he said. “{He said} expect a call from Mr Murray, he’s sought your number out.
“He {Murray} said ‘Look I’d like to bring you back up to Rangers. We know we made a mistake; we should’ve signed you'.
“I said look with all due respect thank you very much but there was no way, it was never happening. The conversation was a bit of a waste of time really.
“His actual words were, ‘I’m going to stick you in the safe house for the first old firm game’.
“I said I would have never been fully accepted by the Rangers fans and secondly just thrown all my 110 goals {for Celtic} down the river.”
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