According to a recent report by the Daily Mail, as has been quoted by the Scottish Sun, Peterborough chief Barry Fry has confirmed that Rangers are interested in signing English striker Ivan Toney in the upcoming transfer window.
The report suggests that Rangers are competing with Old Firm rivals Celtic for the attacker’s signature and that the Celts were even linked with him during the January window. It is also clarified that Steven Gerrard is keen on bringing Toney to the Ibrox next season and that teams from the Bundesliga, the Championship and MLS are all in the race too.
Although it has been stated that Rangers are interested in Ivan Toney, the report claims that Gerrard’s side would have to break their current transfer record to secure a move for the 24-year-old. Speaking on the matter, Fry said, “I’ve had agents on telling me that Rangers and Celtic are very interested. But I haven’t had any calls from either Rangers or Celtic, personally. If they have any sense, they’ll pay us £15million to get him. If they haven’t any sense at all, then I won’t be hearing from them. Ivan Toney is definitely for sale. But only at the right price.”
What Would Ivan Toney Add To The Rangers Attack?
The Englishman joined Peterborough from Newcastle United back in the summer of 2018. Despite his former struggles with the Tyneside club, he succeeded in taking the League One outfit by storm. The forward scored 16 goals and set up a further seven during his first year at the club, while the second one yielded even better numbers. With the League One season now declared to be over, the striker finished the campaign with 24 goals and six assists from just 32 league outings.
Originally a product of the Northampton Town academy, the forward made the switch to the Toon as a youngster in 2015. After just four appearances for the club and a plethora of loan stints, the attacker seemed to finally find a home at Weston Homes Stadium.
Despite not being the tallest player in the world, the 24-year-old uses his intelligence and positioning to get in dangerous positions during a match consistently. An excellent finisher of the ball, the forward has a knack of dropping into the wide areas before beating a defender and releasing venomous shots toward the goal with his belter of a right foot.
What Is The Challenge That Gerrard Might Face With This Transfer?
The £15m asking price would likely be the most obvious stumbling block, as it would be well beyond the Ibrox club’s prevailing budget for the summer. The expense towards the recent acquisition of Ianis Hagi, albeit small by European standards, has already left a pretty big hole in the Glasgow club’s pockets.
Unless they choose to cash in on someone like Alfredo Morelos, the probability of Rangers being able to afford this transfer seems quite bleak. Although given the circumstances Gerrard would have to ensure that they’re challenging for the title next season, a transfer fee of this magnitude would only be pushing it.
Rangers Are Interested In Ivan Toney: Would He Be A Good Fit At The Ibrox?
As good as the striker does seem on paper, it’s worth considering that he would offer a similar kind of profile to Alfredo Morelos. While it must be conceded that the Englishman is a lot bigger in stature, the fact that they both thrive on pressuring opposition defenders and picking up good positions will be an issue.
What this Rangers team needs is a Plan B to Morelos, and a tall and physical target man would probably be a more sensible target for Steven Gerrard at this time. Moreover, the £15m price-tag is likely to come as the main concern, and even if Steven Gerrard is interested in the striker, it does kind of look like a long shot.
