Former PNE striker could be up for sale

Garner joined Rangers last August in a £1.8m deal and had an up-and-down campaign in Scotland.

He made 22 starts and 10 substitute appearances for the Ibrox outfit, scoring 10 goals – seven of them in the Scottish Premiership.

It seems the 29-year-old will be part of a clear-out this summer.

Reports in Glasgow say that a number of players signed by previous Rangers boss Mark Warburton are up for sale as new manager Pedro Caixinha raises funds to shape the squad to his liking.

There is speculation that Garner is among that group and available for a fee which is considerably less than that Rangers paid North End 10 months ago.

Garner started last season in Preston colours despite a summer of rumours that he could be on the move.

He played the first three games of the campaign before Rangers’ bid was accepted.

His first goal for them came in the 5-1 Old Firm defeat to Celtic.

Garner had scored 57 goals in his three-and-a-half years with North End, the club he supported as a boy.

After a slow start to his PNE career he hit form in the 2013/14 season, find the net 24 times.

The following campaign, Garner scored 27 goals to help the Lilywhites to promotion.

He found it harder going in the Championship, scoring six goals in 2015/16 – two of them from the penalty spot.

In Scotland, Garner was in and out of the Rangers team but become something of a fans’ favourite there.

Three of his goals for them came after the change of manager.

After he found the net in successive games against Patrick and Hearts earlier this month, Caixinha hinted there could be a role for Garner next term.

Caixinha said: “Joe can help any team because he is a goalscorer if the ball gets into the box.

“If we are not attacking properly, and getting the ball into the box in different ways rather than from the wide areas then Joe will be there but he won’t receive the ball.

“In the last two games the balls have arrived on the exact spot he likes to be and he likes to attack.”

Ipswich have been linked with a move for Garner.

They were interested in him in the summer of 2014, before he agreed a new deal with North End.