Rangers manager Pedro Caixinha has revealed that he is targeting players who will feature at the Confederations Cup.
Rangers manager Pedro Caixinha before the match
Rangers manager Pedro Caixinha has told The Scotsman that the club are interested in players who will be featuring at the Confederations Cup in Russia this summer.
The Gers picked up a vital 2-1 win over Partick Thistle on Sunday afternoon, with Barrie McKay and Joe Garner hitting late goals to complete a dramatic fightback.
The result means that Rangers will be heading into the Europa League qualifying rounds this summer, and new manager Caixinha will be desperate to add new faces to his squad.
Successive defeats to Old Firm rivals Celtic last month – including a 5-1 reverse at Ibrox last weekend – showed just how big the gap between the two clubs really is.
Caixinha needs backing from chairman Dave King in the transfer market in order to bring his own players to Ibrox, with the Daily Record claiming last week that the Portuguese boss wants 12 new signings to boost his squad.
Caixinha has now commented on his transfer plans, and revealed to The Scotsman that he actually has targets in mind who will be playing at the Confederations Cup in Russia this summer – a possible sign of Rangers’ ambition in the transfer market.
Rangers manager Pedro Caixinha gestures to the players
“I still have one maybe two doubts in my head in terms of the current squad but I have made my mind up on everyone else,” said Caixinha. “So these remaining four games will make my mind up.”
“On the markets we are watching we have players who finish the week before we start pre-season on 5 June. We may also have players we like involved in the Confederations Cup so we will have alternative arrangements made for those players if we persuade them to come over,” he added.
The Confederations Cup pits the winners of the seven major international tournaments and the hosts of the upcoming World Cup against each other, and Euro 2016 winners Portugal may be where Caixinha is looking for a signing.
Bruno Alves celebrates
His comments hint that The Express’ report suggesting that Rangers are keen on Portugal centre back Bruno Alves may well be true, as the 35-year-old centre back – currently with Italian side Cagliari – is likely to feature for his country amid alleged interest from compatriot Caixinha.
Other players should be targeted by Caixinha too, with Mexico another country to target given his history managing Santos Laguna, but the links to Alves appear to be gathering pace – and Gers fans will have one eye on the Confederations Cup next month to view potential transfer targets.
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