According to the Sunday People (Print Edition 20/1, Page 49), Rangers have joined the race to sign Sunderland’s contract rebel Josh Maja. Celtic are also among a host of clubs who are eyeing a move for this talented forward.
The report also adds that Sunderland are willing to sell Maja in this window as that would allow them to make some money on him instead of losing him for free in the summer. Along with the Glaswegian giants, Premier League clubs are also interested in this 20-year-old forward.
Rangers don’t exactly need a forward at the moment as they secured the signing of Jermain Defoe earlier. Along with that, Ryan Hardie has also extended his contract before rejoining Livingston on loan. Therefore the manager already has four decent options at his disposal (The other two being Kyle Lafferty and Alfredo Morelos).
However, it would be foolish to assume that Morelos would stay at Ibrox for long given his goalscoring exploits and the kind of money which he can bring in at the club. There is no way the Gers would look to sell him in this window, but a sale in the summer could be on the cards.
French outfit Nice have already put in (The Scotsman) an £8m bid for the forward. If the Colombian striker continues the excellent work and helps fire Rangers to their 55th title, then his stock would undoubtedly rise further in the summer. The striker himself has maintained (Daily Mail) that playing in the Premier League is his dream so the club could definitely sanction a multi-million deal for him in the future.
In such a case, Gerrard needs to think about his replacement and Maja should fit the bill perfectly. He might struggle for game time initially because of Morelos’ form, but he can be a devastating prospect for the future. The striker has a decent pace to burn, and he often shows good composure in front of goal. His goal scoring record with Sunderland has been decent, and at 20, he has attracted interest from some Premier League heavyweights.
Rangers signing him would also prevent Celtic from strengthening further. Therefore, the Gers would be in a comfortable position going into the second half of the season and even in the summer transfer window. Recent reports from the Sun indicate that Jack Ross could demand £4m for their striker who is in the final year of his contract and Rangers could make a massive coup if they go on to sign him in the next few days.
