Rangers are reportedly interested in signing Ecuadorian defender William Pacho this month with Michael Beale keen to bring in a defender at Ibrox – but Chelsea’s £37million move for Benoit Badiashile could come as a blow to the Gers.
Pacho, 21, has thrown himself onto the radar of both Rangers and Monaco having impressed at Royal Antwerp in Belgium over the past 12 months. Such form earned him a place in Ecuador’s World Cup squad – but he did not play.
Belgian outlet Het Nieuwsblad report that Rangers and Monaco want Pacho. Rangers are likely to be interested in Pacho due to the mount of injuries in their defence – with John Souttar and Filip Helander still on the Ibrox sidelines.
But Rangers may find they are up against it in pursuit of Pacho. Not just because of the size of the club they are battling to land Pacho, in Monaco. But because Chelsea are about to hand Monaco a huge £33million transfer figure.
Rangers interested in Pacho: £33m Chelsea move for Badiashile a blow
Rangers do need a defender. They need more depth in that area. Bringing in a player that is young allows Beale to mould him into the perfect centre-back on the training ground. But Chelsea’s move could be a blow for the Ibrox side.
It is two-fold. The first, is that Monaco – who are already a rich club – are about to be given £33million to spend. Then, they will need to replace Badiashile. The cash they have received for the French defender will likely be reinvested.
So, Monaco have the financial power – as well as the lure of Ligue 1 football – to convince Pacho to move to France over Rangers. It seems as though there is little chance Rangers have any chance of landing the Royal Antwerp star.
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