Rangers manager Michael Beale personally “believed he was close” to signing his top transfer target, but there’s now been a twist.
What’s the latest Rangers transfer news?
There is set to be a real summer of changes at Ibrox as the Gers, after a largely underwhelming Scottish Premiership campaign, look to wrestle dominance back off Old Firm rivals Celtic.
Beale’s side are reliably believed to be in pole position to sign Ecuador international and Los Angeles FC star Jose Cifuentes, with talks held and at an advanced stage, according to reports.
The South American is by no means the only player attracting Gers’ interest, though, as Arsenal’s Aaron Trusty is also believed to be on their radar.
Rangers need to be busy in this transfer market as a plethora of first team players look set to leave for free at the end of this month, including Ryan Kent, Alfredo Morelos, Filip Helander, Scott Arfield, Steven Davis, Allan McGregor and Kieran Wright (Transfermarkt).
The latter two are particularly concerning as Beale will be left very short in the goalkeeping department, with club legend McGregor set to depart and may well retire depending on developments.
Signing a new shot-stopper may well be imperative, but a report from The Scottish Sun has some bad news in this regard.
According to their information, Man United are preparing to hijack the Gers’ move for Butland and want to sign him permanently as cover for David De Gea and Dean Henderson.
United are even ready to double Rangers’ salary offer for the 30-year-old who is set to leave parent club Crystal Palace on a Bosman deal this summer.
The Red Devils’ stance is described as a potential “huge blow”, as Beale “believed he was close” to signing Butland, who was his “main target”.
SunSport also claimed that Rangers were on the brink of making Butland their first summer signing, but after a twist from Old Trafford, it appears they’re now on the backseat.
Who is Jack Butland?
The former Stoke City goalkeeper, who has nine caps for England at international level, could bring a wealth of experience and quality to Glasgow – making him a credible candidate to succeed McGregor.
Butland has found game time difficult to come by over the last few seasons, but former Palace boss Patrick Vieira claimed last year this didn’t get him down – branding his ex-keeper a “real” and “positive” professional.
Signing the player on a free deal would be excellent business from Rangers’ perspective, but United’s presence now certainly complicates matters.
