Rangers had been heavily linked with a move for Elfsborg defender Joseph Okumu – but he won’t be coming to Ibrox this summer.
Back in March, Aftonbladet reported that Rangers had picked out Okumu as a potential signing if Filip Helander moved on.
Celtic were even linked; Aftonbladet added that Celtic had joined the race, with both Old Firm sides putting offers on the table.
Okumu off to Belgium
Another club mentioned in the race then was Gent, and the Belgian side have now officially won the race today.
Gent have confirmed on Twitter that Okumu has joined the club from Elfsborg, signing a four-year deal.
Voetbal Nieuws report that the fee involved is €3.5million (£3million), which is a touch cheaper than many had expected.
Celtic and Rangers miss out on new Van Dijk
Okumu, 24, had been impressing in Sweden following his 2019 move from Real Monarchs over in the United States.
A 6ft 4in defender, Okumu has nine caps for Kenya and has been likened to Virgil van Dijk by teammate Johan Larsson; pretty bold stuff.
Rangers and Celtic may well rue missing out on Okumu in the future, but only time will tell whether he gets anywhere near Van Dijk’s level.
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