Scottish Premiership side Rangers face a challenge luring Crystal Palace midfielder James McAthur to Ibrox as he is keen to stay in the Premier League.
It’s not even May yet but Rangers are already embarking on another major summer overhaul.
And McGregor will be joined in Glasgow by Scott Arfield. The long-serving Burnley midfielder will also be a free agent in the summer but has already agreed a three-year deal to return to Scotland.
But while deals for McGregor and Arfield are close to completion, the signing of James McArthur still looks very ambitious.
The Mail reports that Rangers are also keen on the Crystal Palace midfielder who, guess what, has only a few months remaining on his contract. The 30-year-old Scotland international is a boyhood Rangers fan but the report adds that his priority could be to remain in the Premier League during the peak years of his career.
Given that McArthur has spent the last eight years in England’s top flight with Palace and Wigan Athletic, you can be certain he won’t be short of suitors from the Premier League.
But there is one way that Rangers could give themselves a helping hand: by giving Preston North End boss Alex Neil, who is 5/1 on at Paddy Power, the Ibrox job.
McArthur shot to fame playing alongside Neil at Hamilton Academical as a youngster between 2005 and 2010 and obviously rates him highly as a manager and a man.
“I’m delighted for him,” McArthur told The Mail when Neil led Hamilton back to the Scottish top flight in 2014 after becoming the club’s manager. “He was a big influence on my career and I have a lot to thank him for.”
If Rangers want McArthur, hiring Neil could be the perfect bait.
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