James Tavernier is ignoring speculation over his future amid links with a move to Saudi Arabia, with the Rangers captain instead revealing that he is in talks with the Ibrox club over the possibility of a testimonial.

Tavernier has been repeatedly linked with a move to the Saudi Pro League over the past year or so, with reports suggesting that both he and teammate Connor Goldson may be set for a reunion with former Rangers manager Steven Gerrard at Al-Ettifaq this summer.

Tavernier addressed that rumour for the first time as he was named among the nominees for the PFA Scotland player of the year award, but far from fuelling speculation over his future, he moved to dampen down expectations that he may be moving on.

When asked if the idea of earning a testimonial appealed to him, Tavernier – now in his ninth season at Rangers - said: “Yes, because it’s something you don’t really see in football these days. It’s a rarity that you get a testimonial for players, and it’s another landmark. Ten years at a club is a benchmark, and it’s something that I’d like to see.

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“I think speculation is always around football, and I know you’re speaking about the Saudi thing. That has been speculated about for the last year and a bit now, so it’s not new news. I think the new news is that Connor’s name has been attached to it, so it’s not new news.

“I’ve got two seasons left on my contract at Rangers, and we’re in talks obviously about a testimonial, so my contract is at Rangers, and I am fully focused on the years ahead and I’m excited about the years ahead and what they can bring. So, my full focus is on Rangers.

“Football talks, and it can sometimes be out of your own control. But today, I’m a Rangers player, and my full focus is on Rangers. I’ve got two seasons left at Rangers and as I’ve said before, my family are really settled and we’re loving life. This is my ninth season, and I’ve always tried to better myself.”

Meanwhile, Tavernier says that Rangers will carry the fight to Celtic all the way as they look to overhaul the champions’ three-point advantage at the top of the Premiership table over the final four games of the season.

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The 2-1 wins registered by both clubs over the weekend left the table as it was, with Rangers also having an inferior goal difference to their city rivals, but Tavernier insists that there is still a huge opportunity for Philippe Clement’s side to add both the Premiership and Scottish Cup to their trophy cabinet this season.

“It’s a great opportunity, but as a captain you can only really focus on yourself first and try to perform the best you can,” he said. “You want your team to follow those steps, and we are in a great place at the minute. We’re competing for two trophies, so we are going to go all the way to the end fighting for it, and hopefully that will take us where we want to be.”