Championship side Burton Albion are closing in on a major coup by signing Ross County’s Liam Boyce but why did Rangers not join the race?
Another inspired move by Burton Albion manager Nigel Clough
Eleven months ago, Burton Albion broke their transfer record twice inside a week when they followed the signing of grizzled defender Kyle McFadzean with Ross County midfielder Jackson Irvine, as reported by Sky Sports.
At just £330,000, it is fair to say the latter proved an unquestionable success. Scoring 10 Championship goals to inspire The Brewers to safety, Irvine was arguably the most inspired pound-for-pound signing in the second tier last season.
Jackson Irvine is in-demand with Aston Villa, Derby and Sheffield Wednesday all linked
And it appears that they could be on the verge of repeating the trick. The Daily Record reports that Burton are closing in on the signing of another Ross County favourite, strike Liam Boyce, after triggering his £500,000 release clause.
While Irvine’s performances went somewhat under the radar at Dingwall, you cannot say the same about Boyce.
The 26-year-old netted 23 goals in the Scottish Premiership last season, beating Scott Sinclair and Moussa Dembele to the Golden Boot, and capped a remarkable year with debut strike in the Northern Ireland’s 1-0 win against New Zealand last week.
Ross County’s Liam Boyce
The surprise, however, is that Burton appear to be relatively unchallenged in signing a proven goalscorer on such a bargain fee. Rangers, after all, are in need of attacking reinforcements having scored 50 goals fewer than champions Celtic in the league last season.
Signing of the season?
In fact, only Kenny Miller hit double figures for Pedro Caixinha’s side in the league. At just £500,000, and having struck 10, 15 and 23 in his three seasons in Scotland, Boyce appeared the perfect solution for a side lacking in both funds and goalscorers.
Yet, instead Rangers are on the verge of paying £1.5 million for Eduardo Herrera, the Pumas UNAM striker who scored just five goals in 2016/17, as reported by the Daily Record. He may know Caixinha well from their time at Santos Laguna but the Mexican international is completely unproven in Scotland.
Boyce, however, certainly is not.
Nonetheless, it appears that Rangers’ loss will be Burton’s gain.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
