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HARRY REDKNAPP believes signing Niko Kranjcar and Joey Barton would represent a massive double-coup for Rangers .

Ibrox boss Mark Warburton has targeted the high-profile duo as his rebuilding job for the club’s return to the Ladbrokes Premiership steps up into overdrive.

Warburton has enjoyed a good level of success in the transfer market since arriving at Ibrox.

So far, the policy has seen him attract talented youngsters such as Liverpool’s Jordan Rossiter and English lower-league fringe-men such as James Tavernier and Martyn Waghorn.

However, interest in Kranjcar and Barton has cranked the recruitment levels up a notch.

Warburton is fully aware that experience is required for the top-flight to help his impressive crop of younger starlets and Redknapp believes the experienced duo fit the bill.

One thing is for sure, no-one in the game knows Kranjcar better.

The Croatian international is currently in the United States with New York Cosmos having been released by Dynamo Kiev.

However, before these moves, the 31-year-old’s career was spent mainly in the UK and was shaped by Redknapp.

Having started at Dinamo Zagreb and Hajduk Split, it was the Londoner who gave the playmaker his big break in England when he paid £3.5 million to sign him for Portsmouth after an impressive show at the 2006 World Cup Finals.

After the years on the South Coast, Redknapp moved him to the Capital in a £2 million switch to join countrymen Luca Modric and Vedran Corluka at Tottenham.

Having gone to Kiev after two years at White Hart Lane, the wily manager took him back to London again for a couple of years on loan at Queens Park Rangers.

Given that background, it’s little surprise that Redknapp feels Kranjcar will do a job for Rangers.

It’s understood Warburton travelled to the States last week, just hours after watching his team prepare for the Scottish Cup Final with a closed doors victory over Spurs in London, to speak with the player in person about a switch to Scotland as he looks to add a quality wide-man to his ranks.

(Image: Tony Nicoletti/Daily Record)

Redknapp told Record Sport : “I’m not surprised, I’d take Niko all day long.

“He’s a fantastic player. Really technically gifted and a terrific footballer.

“I had a good relationship with Niko and he played for me quite a few times.

“The talent is there without question and the best part is that he’s a great lad as well to go with his ability.

“The key to getting the very best out of him is to keep him fit.

“All in all, he is a top-class player and would represent quite a signing for Rangers.”

If Kranjcar would represent a big-name capture, there is a fair argument to suggest that Barton’s signing would be even bigger and better.

Redknapp crossed paths with the fiery midfielder during their spell together at QPR.

Having taken over from Mark Hughes, he came back up to the Premier League through the play-offs after they went down in his first season.

It wasn’t all sweetness and light.

Barton was critical of Redknapp’s recruitment policy at one point and the manager was forced to defend his decisions.

In end, the player ended up away from the club and sent on loan to Marseille in France, where he rebuilt his reputation and won back recognition for being a top-class player as opposed to a troublemaker.

(Image: 2015 Getty Images)

Much water went under the bridge, but Redknapp has no doubts what he thinks about Barton when it comes to the football pitch.

He said: “Joey has been fantastic for Burnley in the Championship throughout this season.

“I recommended him to [manager] Sean [Dyche] and said he would do well for them and he did a really great job.

“He’s a good player and a good trainer and, like Niko, would represent a terrific signing.”

Now it comes down to whether or not Rangers can get the deals over the line, yet the signs are hugely positive for their supporters in terms of the standard of potential signing being identified.

Redknapp isn’t surprised given he always fancied Warburton to turn things around at Ibrox.

The pair were introduced during his days at Tottenham when assistant manager Tim Sherwood took the now-Rangers boss into the Training Centre at Spurs Lodge for a look around.

Redknapp followed the career of the manager as he put-together an excellent team at Brentford, which was in the fight for promotion until a disagreement brought a parting of the ways.

(Image: SNS Group)

He predicted in Record Sport at the beginning of last season that Warburton would take good times to Ibrox and he has, so far, been proved 100 per cent correct.

Now it’s time for the next step with the return to the Premiership and Redknapp is sure signings of the quality of Kranjcar and Barton would bring a spark back to Scotland’s top-flight next term.

He said: “Niko and Joey are very different players and very different characters, but both are very impressive in their own ways.

“As I have said, it goes without saying that both of them would be really excellent signings for Rangers for next season.

“Probably more importantly, it would certainly make the league up there very interesting having two players of that quality signing up for Rangers as they go back to the top league.”