Rangers are set to commence their quest for the prestigious Scottish Cup this weekend against Cove Rangers but, at the same time, are already identifying summer targets that include free-scoring Peterborough United centre-forward Jonson Clarke-Harris, the Daily Record has claimed. This has been revealed by the Posh chairman Barry Fry while speaking to Peterborough Today.
“We want promotion this season so there’s no way we would have let him go. It was the same situation with Ivan Toney last season. We could have sold him in January, but we were never going to. The owners have done great to resist cashing in at a time when football clubs are struggling financially.”
Peterborough, currently placed second in a pretty competitive League One standings, are aiming a promotion to the Championship ahead of other heavyweights like Hull City, Sunderland and Portsmouth. Clarke-Harris’ stunning scoring record (25 goals in 37 league appearances, stats via Transfermarket) has scripted their resurgence in Cambridgeshire and the Bears, thus, might have to face a stern test from England (with Sheffield United keeping close tabs already) to secure his services prior to the upcoming term.
The 26-year-old enjoyed his time with Bristol Rovers before re-joining the Posh but is now exhibiting more maturity in front of goal. Although the Bears are well-equipped high up the pitch with Alfredo Morelos, Kemar Roofe, Jermain Defoe and Cedric Itten as the striking options, a couple of summer exits might lead to a crisis considering they would be contesting to qualify for the group stages of the UEFA Champions League 2021-22.
Why Rangers Must Rope Him In This Summer
Morelos might finally grab his desired exit after serving the Glasgow giants over the past four years. The hitman from Colombia deserves a high-profile European transfer whereas veteran Defoe, a free agent this summer, might not get a contract extension irrespective of his desire to stay for one more year beyond the current campaign.
Itten, on the other hand, has proven his worth as a ‘super sub’ on many occasions, but the Swiss ‘number 9’ has not shown enough traits yet to lead the line all alone. Roofe is a smart inclusion due to his flexibility across the frontline. However, the persistent injury problems saw him featuring only 19 times in the league since completing a £4.5m transfer from Anderlecht back in August. Rangers, therefore, would require a like-for-like replacement of Morelos to spearhead the attacking third and Clarke-Harris, the goal-machine of Peterborough, ticks many boxes to emulate the success of the 24-year-old Los Cafeteros international.
