Journalist Joshua Barrie has claimed he would be surprised to see Billy Gilmour sign on loan for Rangers under Michael Beale.

What's going on with Billy Gilmour and Rangers?

The former Rangers youth player joined Chelsea in 2017, but after an initially impressive breakthrough, a poor loan spell at Norwich City followed and he was eventually sold to Brighton last summer.

However, the 21-year-old has found minutes hard to come by at Brighton, making just 10 appearances all season, and he has now been linked with a loan move away, and Ibrox has been mooted as a potential destination.

Any talk of a loan back to Glasgow should be instantly shelved, however, as Barrie has claimed that Beale will focus on players for the longer term rather than short-term loans.

Speaking on The Rangers Review, Barrie claimed that loan signings are unlikely, and that unless Gilmour could be signed permanently, it is one to steer clear from.

"I'd like to see Gilmour, but I think Beale would want players who are here for 2-3 years," he stated.

"Even if they could come in and have a really good season, I think the loan market will probably be used sparingly. You look at someone like Raskin or Cantwell, I think one of the big differences about those signings compared to Amad or Ramsey, is that you know they're here for the long term or they've signed a long contract, and whether they're sold on or signed, they're committed to being here.

"I think Gilmour is a really interesting case study because he's obviously such a talented player, I don't think anyone would disagree with that.

"He just needs a move where he's going to play football… I'd be surprised if he comes up the road at this stage. I don't think it would make sense necessarily for him or the club because of the emphasis that Beale's put on not having short-term signings."

Is Beale right to focus on long-term signings?

Younger long-term signings will benefit Rangers, as high-potential players can come in and potentially move for a healthy profit, and signings such as Nicolas Raskin and Todd Cantwell both signal a bright future for the club.

One may argue that bringing in extra quality around them could help the younger players develop. This may have been the idea when bringing in Aaron Ramsey last season, but the failure of that loan has perhaps shown Beale that short-term deals are not worth doing.

With Gilmour, he would not be arriving as the finished article, but a young talent who needs minutes to develop.

If the £20k-per-week talent was arriving permanently, it would arguably be the exact type of signing Rangers should be making given his experience and long-term potential, but considering that he is seemingly only available on loan, there would be limited benefit to developing him for just one season.