Rangers have agreed a pre-contract with Manchester City rising star Kane Ritchie-Hosler, according to the Scottish Sun.
The newspaper claim the forward, 16, will move to Ibrox from the Premier League champions in the summer and his signing comes soon after the Light Blues confirmed the capture of Nathan Young-Coombes from Chelsea.
The Scottish Sun report commentator Tom Miller confirmed the imminent arrival of Ritchie-Hosler during Rangers TV coverage of Saturday’s 0-0 SPL draw with St Johnstone.
OPINION
You don’t need the detective skills of Hercule Poirot or Miss Marple to deduce that Rangers director of football Mark Allen will have been the driving force behind the capture of the teenage forward. Allen quit his Man City academy chief post two years ago to make the move to Ibrox after earning wide acclaim for helping to create one of the most admired youth set-ups in world football. It appears that the signing of Ritchie-Hosler, who has been playing for City Under-16s, is a done deal, given that Rangers TV commentator Miller divulged news of his imminent arrival. The youngster will join the likes of Young-Coombes and Kai Kennedy in a youth set-up that is starting to flourish after years of neglect and under-investment. Rangers don’t have the cash to buy big stars, but they can gain an advantage by snapping up outstanding youthful talent and providing a pathway to senior football that those youngsters just won’t get at the elite Premier League clubs.