Rangers have been installed as odds-on favourites to sign Brighton winger Jamie Murphy in the January transfer window amid reports a £1.2million offer will be submitted, according to the latest bookmakers’ odds.
Bet Victor priced the Glasgow giants at 1/2 on Friday evening to land the Premier League 28-year-old before 3 February of next year.
Rangers are well ahead in the betting race of English Championship clubs Sheffield United (8/1) and Leeds United (10/1), as well as bitter rivals Celtic, Sunderland and Fulham (all 12/1).
Rangers’ price has been dramatically slashed, as they were 6/1 joint favourites with Sheffield United on 2 December to land Murphy in the forthcoming window.
The drop in odds come after the Scottish Sun reported that Rangers are readying a £1.2million move for the Brighton winger next month.
The newspaper claim that Ibrox director of football Mark Allen has placed the wide man, 28, high on his list of targets for next month and that he is keen to sign Murphy on a permanent contract, although a loan move is a possibility.
Good move for Rangers?
Yes. Murphy has a strong track record in the SPL and his diminished status at Brighton this season. The winger was a regular for Chris Hughton’s team last season but has slipped down the pecking order and could be keen to secure a move in the January window in the search for regular first team football. Rangers are not especially well served for left midfield flyers, a role filled with mixed success by Josh Windass for the majority of the campaign before he was re-deployed as a central striker.
This Is Futbol rating 7/10
Likely to happen?
Rangers are in with a genuine chance, although the numbers would have to add up. Brighton are likely to be keen to cash in on Murphy, given that he has only 18 months left on his contract and is not in the team. If a fee can be agreed, the player might be persuaded to make a return to the SPL, where he had great success at former club Motherwell, scoring 49 goals in 212 matches.
This Is Futbol rating 6/10