Giovanni van Bronckhorst wants Rangers to replace Nathan Patterson in the winter transfer window, but does not view New York City FC’s James Sands to be a like-for-like alternative.
That’s according to the Glasgow Times, who report Patterson is closing in on a move out of Ibrox. The Gers have agreed to a £12m fee with Everton for the Scotland international, plus £4m in potential add-ons. They will also obtain a future sell-on clause for the 20-year-old.
Patterson has struggled to secure a key role in Van Bronckhorst’s plans since the Dutchman took charge at Rangers. He has only played five times across all competitions under Steven Gerrard’s replacement, while starting two fixtures. One of his starts also came at left-back.
Van Bronckhorst wants Rangers to waste no time in securing a replacement for Patterson in the January transfer window. He has a clear plan for the winter sales, with a new backup for James Tavernier desired before potentially eying deals for attacking reinforcements.
New York City product Sands features in Rangers’ transfer plans for after Patterson’s move away from Glasgow. The Premiership champions are keen to bring the United States star to Scotland this month. But they do not view him as a like-for-like alternative for Patterson.
Van Bronckhorst has clear transfer plan for arrival of New York’s Sands at Rangers
Van Bronckhorst has a clear plan for Sands to join Rangers from New York City and improve his squad beyond just replacing Patterson. Instead, signing a backup for captain Tavernier is a side project for the winter window alongside landing the versatile 21-year-old.
Additionally, TuttoMercatoWEB claimed last week that Rangers want to seal a loan transfer for Sands. The seven-cap star is a target to strengthen Van Bronckhorst’s central defensive ranks. But he can also feature in central midfield, and has a big future ahead of him.
“James is a big prospect, I’m very impressed by him as a player and his personality,” NYCFC boss Ronny Deila said, via MLSsoccer.com. “He has all the discipline and mental strength that you need to become a really good player.”
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