Kris Boyd has admitted he isn't convinced making Malik Tillman's move to Ibrox permanent would be the right call.

The former Rangers striker has urged caution over taking up the option to buy the midfielder - reportedly worth around £5million - in the summer.

Instead, Boyd reckons Michael Beale's transfer priority should be landing a proven number nine - a player who could be Rangers' version of Kyogo Furuhashi for Celtic.

The pundit warned it could be a "barren few years" should Rangers fail to invest in a striker with Boyd suggesting the "bulk" of the budget should be spent on the position.

In his Scottish Sun column, Boyd wrote: "In the second half [against Aberdeen], Malik Tillman went AWOL. It was another vital game when he failed to turn up when needed.

"And I genuinely don’t think I would be willing to pay Bayern Munich £5million to make his loan deal permanent.

READ MORE: Rangers must do their talking on the pitch to end Celtic Treble dreams

"The bulk of Beale’s budget should be used to bring in a proven No 9. Teams live and die by the quality of their centre-forward.

"Rangers need to find their own version of Kyogo Furuhashi and they need to do it this summer or it could be a barren few years."

Ahead of the Hampden showdown against Celtic in the Scottish Cup semi-final on Sunday, Boyd added that Connor Goldson starting is a must.

He commented: "If Connor Goldson doesn’t play then I fear for Rangers. He has missed the last three games through injury when the Gers backline has shipped seven goals.

"If they don’t tighten up defensively then Celtic are capable of running riot."

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