Could Celtic have helped Rangers in reported bid to sign Steven Davis?

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Rangers are reportedly keen on Davis, despite already signing plenty of midfielders in the summer.

Rangers are reportedly interested in signing Southampton midfielder Steven Davis, and bringing him back to Ibrox more than six years after he left the club – and Celtic may have given Rangers a helping hand.

The Scottish Daily Express claimed in their print edition on Thursday (16/10) that Rangers are interested in re-signing the 33-year-old, who is struggling for game time under Mark Hughes.

Indeed, the former Fulham man has only managed six minutes of Premier League action this season, while appearing in the Carabao Cup against Brighton and Everton.

Davis’ current side Southampton have a wealth of talent in the middle of the park that is keeping the 105-time Northern Ireland international out of the side, including the likes of Oriol Romeu and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg.

But of all the clubs, Celtic may have given Rangers a helping hand in their pursuit of the experienced Davis by selling Stuart Armstrong to the Saints in the summer.

After two impressive campaigns under Brendan Rodgers in which he helped Celtic complete two successive trebles, the former Dundee United playmaker joined Southampton for a fee believed to be in the region of £7million (BBC).

Armstrong, 26, has been more involved with the senior side than Davis, clocking up five Premier League appearances and it is safe to say that he is ahead of Davis in the Southampton pecking order.

So, the signing of Armstrong has pushed Davis towards being surplus to requirements, and that could mean Celtic’s sale of Armstrong could indeed help Rangers in signing their former star.

With three Scottish Premiership titles to his name and 200 Rangers appearances, there is no doubt that Davis would be a top signing – especially as his contract ends in the summer. The sale of Armstrong could also help them achieve that.