Could Czech league winner Simon Deli become the latest new face at Rangers this summer?
Rangers are interested in signing Slavia Prague defender Simon Deli, according to Czech publication iSport.
Steven Gerrard’s Gers have made a real impression in the transfer window so far, bringing in coveted talents like Joe Aribo, Jordan Jones, Jake Hastie and Greg Stewart while hardly spending a penny.
After snapping up young George Edmundson, one of the most in-demand centre-halves in the lower leagues of English football, reports from the continent suggest that a far more experienced defender could be joining the former Oldham Athletic starlet at Ibrox.
A 27-year-old Ivory Coast international who won the league with Slavia Prague last season, Deli might have played his final game in the Czech capital.
He has a £1.8 million release-clause in his contract and, according to iSport, Rangers have stepped up their attempts to sign the Abidjan-born powerhouse after previously expressing reservations about the size of his price tag.
If Deli can form a fearsome partnership with the likes of Edmundson or Connor Goldson at Ibrox, that £1.8 million fee would look like a drop in the ocean.
Gerrard and Mark Allen are putting together a fearsome collection of young talents and Deli could be the experienced older head, and proven winner, they need on and off the pitch.
Slavia’s outspoken president Jaroslav Tvrdik has not given up hope of keeping his star man, however, writing on Twitter:
“Our football god, Simon Deli, needs to decide whether to accept the offer (to stay at) Slavia or to go for another challenge.
“Help us convince him to help us return to the Champions League, and that without him we can no longer imagine Slavia. Please write to him too.”
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