Rangers are now said to be pushing for a move for a centre-back as they bid to continue their bold summer transfer window. The Gers have enjoyed a fruitful window so far, with Derek McInnes wasting no time in putting his own stamp on a team that stumbled heavily in the final hurdles of the title race under Danny Rohl last season.
The Glasgow giants snapped up Lawrence Shankland before McInnes arrived, and they have since signed Ivor Pandur, Ross McRorie, Dan Neil and Ben Godfrey. Rangers spent £6million on the Pandur deal alone, and they are not afraid to spend more to put together a squad capable of leapfrogging Hearts and catching up with Celtic this season.
Rangers are now said to be chasing a deal to sign Troyes centre-back Sankhoun Diawara. According to FootMercato, Rangers have ‘made progress’ over the signing of the 20-year-old defender. It’s claimed the Gers have presented him with an ‘ambitious project’, which likely includes a solid wage and the club’s plans to challenge for the title and success in Europe.
Meanwhile, Troyes are said to be working on convincing the centre-back to stay. With his contract up in 2027, Troyes know it’s a case of agreeing a new deal or being forced to sell this summer to ensure they get a fee for the talented youngster.
Diawara is valued at £1.71million by Transfermarkt, but his actual market value is likely above that. Then again, his contract situation could pave the way for a cheaper-than-usual sale.
Diawara has 14 Ligue 2 appearances to date, but he has now locked down a place in the Troyes first team having broken through last season. The centre-back can also play at left-back, which will be seen as a useful trait by Rangers and others.
Speaking to Sky Sports, Rangers boss McInnes spoke about his plans to add more new signings. Explaining: “Yes, there are areas. I’m not going into specifics now, but there are clearly a lot of conversations going on. We’ve got a lot of players in the building at the minute, and I’m looking forward to getting to know the players that are already here. From the outside looking in, you can have a set opinion, but it’s only really working with players day in, day out that you can really forge that opinion better.
“There are some players here that are catching the eye already and doing well in training. But there will be a natural progression; there will be players moving out the way to get players in. Streamlining the squad and getting the right number is very important as well – but, as I say, we’re a long way from that. We’re a long way from the end of the window closing.”
He added: “We want to be as strong as we can for the first game against Dundee United. So, there’s a lot of work to do, both physically, integration of players, getting the players up to match speed, and also a lot of work to do to try and bring players in as quickly as possible. Sometimes you need to wait for the better ones, and we need to just be patient at times, as well as still being forthright in our intentions.”
The Godfrey signing means Rangers now have five centre-backs on their books, but they only have one left-back in Tuur Rommens.
