Rangers are set to seal the signing of “highly-rated” midfielder Umaro Balde, according to the Evening Times.
The Sporting Lisbon midfielder had a trial with Rangers and is now set to sign, with the ET claiming that Rangers will not have to pay a fee for the starlet.
The report claims that he will sign a two-year deal with Steven Gerrard’s club and will look to take his game to the next level.
That is just one of a number of moves for youngsters that Rangers are looking to make, after a standout season that saw them win the U20s Reserve League, the Under-18 League and Youth Cup double, and the Al Kass Cup in Qatar.
Albert Rachi, who joined Tottenham Hotspur last year, is also on their radar for next season, along with Kilmarnock’s Liam Smith.
OPINION
Steven Gerrard had a decent first season at Ibrox, despite finishing nine points off the pace in the league. He’ll be expected to challenge for the Premiership next season and will be strengthening again this summer, amid the turbulence at Celtic. They still haven’t announced their next permanent manager and that’s a decision they simply have to get right. There’s a lot more going on at Rangers, too, and the success at youth level points to the fact that the future is bright at Ibrox. Balde is a very promising young talent and he’ll be one for the future at Rangers. He’s already had a successful trial and impressed enough to get a two-year deal by the sounds of it. That will take him to 22-years-old and he will have hoped to have broken into the first-team by that point. With no fee attached this is a great deal for Rangers and Balde is definitely one to watch at Ibrox.