Rangers boost as manager suggests £5m target may have to be sold

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Manager Nigel Pearson admits Bristol City may have to sell a key player in January with Rangers and Crystal Palace reportedly targeting striker Antoine Semenyo, speaking to Bristol Live. 

Eight months ago, Semenyo’s agent admitted that one of the Glasgow giants were keeping tabs on his up-and-coming client. 

“I had a conversation with (Celtic scout Craig) Strachan,” the representative told Football Scotland. “(He) rang up to ask little bits of info on the player and what he’s like as a lad.

“It’s nice to know that his talents are going as far as Scotland. (Celtic are) one of great institutions in world football.”

Flash forward to mid-November and it’s Celtic’s Old Firm rivals being linked in the gossip columns with one of the EFL’s most exciting young forwards these days. Rangers, Sports World Ghana claim, could test the waters with a £5 million bid as they look to add some depth to a frontline hit by Alfredo Morelos’ loss of form and Kemar Roofe’s injury issues.

Could Rangers sign former Celtic target Antoine Semenyo?

Semenyo, as things stand, is set to be a free-agent next summer. Though Bristol City do – and most likely will – exercise the 12-month extension clause in his contract. 

Pearson, meanwhile, admits that the Robins will have to sell before they can buy in January. And Semenyo, along with Tommy Conway and Han-Noah Massengo, most certainly ranks among the club’s most sellable assets. 

“Whether we’ll be able to do some trading remains to be seen. That will only happen if players leave, essentially,” explains the former Leicester City and Derby County boss, who was furious with his players following the midweek EFL Cup defeat to third-tier Lincoln at Ashton Gate.

“We’re not, as a club, going to change our strategy in what we’re trying to do. And that is still to be competitive but reduce costs.

“I don’t intend now to start putting demands out there. We know we’re short in some areas. What we’d like to do compared to what we can do, at the moment, is very different.

“So, I’ll just reiterate what I’ve already said; and that is we would need players to leave before we can do business to bring players in. That’s it. That’s what it is.”

Semenyo, who has also been watched by Crystal Palace, has just four goals in 17 games this season. The London-born Ghana international offered a more tantalising glimpse into his undoubted potential last term, however, scoring eight times and setting up 12 more after exploding onto the scene early in 2023.