Rangers have long been interested in Liverpool striker Dominic Solanke, and reports (The Scotsman) from summer have been doing the rounds regarding his possible stint at Ibrox. Jurgen Klopp didn’t allow the striker to leave in the summer, but there is a decent chance that might change next month as the English striker hasn’t played many parts in the Liverpool first team.
Various reports (The Sun) have claimed that the Gers are likely to get their man in the January window, but recently Steven Gerrard gave a clear indication that currently there aren’t any talks happening regarding his move to Glasgow.
The manager was quoted as saying (The Daily Mail),”I haven’t heard Dominic Solanke say he wants to leave Liverpool. I haven’t heard Liverpool say they want him to leave, so there’s nothing really to say about it.”
Gerrard has been quite honest and upfront in his press conferences and this time again he didn’t mince words and suggested that the deal is nowhere close to happening at the moment. That could change as the January transfer window arrives as Liverpool might look to ship him somewhere to get some much-needed game time under his belt.
The 21-year-old striker hasn’t even made the matchday squads this season because of the resurgence of Divock Origi and Daniel Sturridge. Both of them were away on loan last season and as a result, the English striker got his chances in the previous campaign where he made 21 appearances in the Premier League. However, the u-20 World Cup winner managed just one goal, and he might have blown his chances for now as the forward has been well behind the pecking order this season.
Rangers are definitely in need of a striker, and we expect them to go after one in the January window. They depend heavily on their Colombian forward Alfredo Morelos to produce something every time and given his disciplinary record he is never too far from a suspension. Kyle Lafferty is a decent backup option but after the early return (The Scottish Sun) of Umar Sadiq from Ibrox, Gerrard needs to bring in a third striker and Solanke would be more than an able option.
However, Gerrard might have to convince the young English striker that he would get proper game time at Ibrox and it is likely that the forward won’t make the switch to play second fiddle to Morelos. With English clubs like Crystal Palace also looking to get him (Evening Standard) on loan, Gerrard might find it difficult to convince Solanke to join Ibrox. Now it remains to be seen what pans out in the next month. All in all, Rangers needs to sign a forward, be it Solanke or someone else who can get the job done in the absence of Morelos.
