Rangers are worried that their fierce Glasgow rivals Celtic will steal Charlton Athletic midfielder Joe Aribo from under their nose, according to Football Insider.
The outlet claims that Steven Gerrard’s side are interested in both the 22-year-old and Bolton Wanderers starlet Luca Connell, but there are concerns that the Hoops could beat them to both players.
Gers fear that the superior spending power and resources on offer at Parkhead, as well as Celtic’s status as Scottish champions, could see them win the race for the Addicks star, and Connell too.
Clubs from across Europe are also taking a look at Aribo, who is out of contract at The Valley come the end of June.
OPINION
This is extremely concerning from a Rangers point of view, there’s no doubt about that. Celtic obviously rule the roost in Glasgow and in Scotland as a whole, and have done for some time. That means that if both they and Rangers go in for the same player, he’s likely to end up in Parkhead. It looks like that could happen with two young starlets here. Aribo, though, is someone who has reportedly been on Gers’ radar for some time, so to lose him to Neil Lennon’s team would be a massive blow. Both teams need to reinvigorate their squads this summer, Celtic to stay on top and Rangers to catch them, and so signing a top talent like Aribo would be huge for either of them in that pursuit. Gerrard’s need for the player is far more dire, though, so he is right to be worried that the Bhoys could swoop in and snatch Aribo from under his nose. We’ll have to wait and see what happens with this one.