Nils Koppen is ticking off the players who are available immediately or have contracts that make negotiations that little bit easier for the Rangers recruitment chief.
Connor Barron is the latest young pretender to be under consideration as Philippe Clement looks to bolster a midfield that will see no Ryan Jack or John Lundstram for the first time since 2017.
Another player who could be on Koppen’s radar is Steven Alzate after being released by Brighton and having his name heavily linked with a move to Rangers with competition hitting up in the race for his signature.
Rangers face competition if Steven Alzate is still a target
The 25-year old playmaker is a chip off Steven Davis’ old block with his main qualities being how he looks after the ball and his forward passing.
Former Brighton technical director Dan Ashworth has sung the Colombian international’s praises in the past whilst he was impressing for Brighton not long after signing:
“He came on for the last 15 minutes at Everton and I thought he had something.
“He’s 21 and a late developer but his determination and professionalism and his ability to handle the ball under intense pressure against some of the world’s best players in the Premier League has been really good.”
It’s not like the south coast side to let players leave without bringing in a fee, however, on this occasion they have missed out to the tune of several millions.
There has yet to be any concrete reports of Rangers following up the winter window rumours but it looks like Alzate isn’t going to be short of offers.
According to Fotomac, Sheffield United and Trabzonspor have been named as possible suitors for the gifted creator.
Clement will need to move fast if Alzate is on shopping list
It is a role that Rangers have struggled to fill since Davis got injured and then retired.
Damian Garcia and Connor Barron are both more defence minded capable of progressing play even if Alzate would be a better option to partner one of them to balance the engine room.
On a free transfer he is almost zero risk.
If Alzate didn’t settle in the SPFL or cope with the pressure of life in Glasgow, there would be plenty of teams willing to cover his wages on a loan deal.
He would also be all profit if a team wanted to take him off Rangers hands permanently.
There are times when teams are name dropped as being in for certain players who Rangers are also watching and you think that there is no chance of a deal getting done.
On this occasion, it isn’t top tier teams or clubs with pockets significantly deeper than Rangers.
The biggest question is – does Philippe Clement want him?
With clubs looking to get their squads in shape as soon as possible, a player like Steven Alzate won’t be on the market for too long.
