Rangers’ pursuit of assist-king defender Jake Cooper could benefit from a release clause in his contact with Millwall, according to the Daily Express.
The newspaper claim the Glasgow giants remain in hot pursuit of the giant centre-back after bidding up to £3million for him over the summer.
The Express report Millwall are “concerned” at losing the fight to keep Cooper, 23, amid suggestions he has a “release clause in his contract if they are relegated or finish at the bottom end of the Championship”.
OPINION
Given that Millwall are 22nd out of 24 teams in the English tier and deep in a relegation battle, Rangers’ chances of signing the 6ft 6in colossus (source: Transfermarkt) have been given a huge boost by the existence of the reported clause. Certainly, it means the London club will have their hands tied behind the backs when it comes to keeping hold of the player at the end of the season. Moreover, it will also help Rangers to sign Cooper in January as the Londoners know his value could be diminished if the team continue to hover around the relegation zone. As the Express report, a January transfer cannot be discounted for a player who has been an ever-present in the Championship this season. The former Reading player has started all 20 of Millwall’s league matches and completing them all, too, without even receiving a yellow card. Alfredo Morelos, eat your heart out. He is more than just a granite-tough centre-back, too. He has supplied a remarkable six league assists this season as well as scoring a single goal.