Rangers reportedly wanted to bring Jake Clarke-Salter to Ibrox this summer.
Rangers managed to bring in four centre backs in the summer transfer window, but new reports now claim that they missed out on one signing.
As part of their major summer signing spree, the Gers landed Connor Goldson and Nikola Katic on permanent deals from Brighton and Slaven Belupo respectively, splashing out around £5million.
Steven Gerrard then brought in two more centre backs to add depth to his squad, with Joe Worrall arriving on loan from Nottingham Forest before Gareth McAuley signed on a free transfer.
Now, The Guardian report that Chelsea centre back Jake Clarke-Salter held talks with Rangers boss Gerrard about heading to Ibrox, but ended up joining Chelsea’s feeder club Vitesse Arnhem on loan instead.
The 21-year-old is an England Under-21 international regular, and looks to be a star of the future, but first-team opportunities for even some of Chelsea’s most talented youngsters – such as Ethan Ampadu, Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Tammy Abraham – is hard to come by.
Clarke-Salter may be looking for another move when his Vitesse spell comes to an end next summer, and Rangers should certainly be looking to strike a deal for him in the summer of 2019.
Worrall is scheduled to head back to Forest, and it’s unclear whether Rangers could afford a permanent deal, whilst McAuley will become a free agent at the end of the season, which would leave Rangers back down to two centre backs.
Clarke-Salter – who played at Sunderland alongside Ovie Ejaria last season – would fit the bill, and with Gerrard keen once before, Rangers should certainly be attempting to try again when they get another opportunity.
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