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Rangers are believed to be weighing up an approach for Stewart Downing.

The Middlesbrough winger will be out of contract in the summer and free to leave his hometown club.

Gers boss Steven Gerrard has identified the 34-year-old former England winger as a potential new recruit as he attempts to build a team capable of winning the Scottish Premiership and end Celtic’s title dominance.

Gerrard knows Downing well from the time they spent together in the England and Liverpool dressing rooms.

Downing has hinted in the past that he would consider a move to the United States when he leaves Middlesbrough, but the prospect of joining a club of the stature of Rangers would surely appeal.

The attacking midfielder is set to end his association with Boro at the end of the season.

As things stand his current deal will lapse in July.

The terms of his contract mean that if he starts one more Championship game for the club before the end of the season, he’ll automatically receive a one-year contract extension tying him to the club until the end of the 2019/20 campaign.

That means Tony Pulis has only been able to use him as a sub since his last league start against Ipswich Town on December 29.

It’s not an ideal state of affairs for either party but the situation is unlikely to change with just nine Championship fixtures remaining.

Pulis has spoken about the issue on several occasions, most recently last month.

He said: “It’s a situation that is not good for anybody. That’s an issue the club have got with Stewart and that’s ongoing.

“If you look at the big picture, then you just hope it gets resolved for everybody’s sake. But that’s obviously down to Neil (Bausor) and Stewart to get together and try to bash things out. We won’t be able to start Stewart so it’s an ongoing issue.”

Downing, who will be 35 in July, joined Boro in July 2015 from West Ham in a £6m switch to kick-off his second stint with the club.

He came through Middlesbrough’s highly-rated Academy and made his first team debut in April 2002, earning man of the match plaudits in a 1-0 loss at Ipswich.

Downing won his first England cap in 2005 and played for his country at the 2006 World Cup. He was also a key member of the Boro team that reached the UEFA Cup final in Eindhoven that year.

Downing was sold to Aston Villa for a reported £12m following Boro’s relegation in 2009 and, two years later, joined Liverpool in a £20m transfer, winning the 2012 League Cup with the Reds and also picking up the man of the match trophy.

Then, in July 2013, he made a £6m move to West Ham.