Rangers transfer news: 'A lot of talk' around 'feasible' Ibrox target represented by Raiola | OneFootball

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GiveMeSport

·11 January 2022

Rangers transfer news: 'A lot of talk' around 'feasible' Ibrox target represented by Raiola

Article image:Rangers transfer news: 'A lot of talk' around 'feasible' Ibrox target represented by Raiola

Ligue 1 expert Adam White believes it is “feasible” that Rangers could sign Xavi Simons from PSG this month as Giovanni van Bronckhorst seeks a major coup by securing the teenager’s signature.

Simons has made his PSG breakthrough this season at the age of just 18 but the Scottish giants have been heavily linked with a potential swoop to bring him to Ibrox.


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What’s the latest with Simons?

The 18-year-old has been hailed as a genuine star of the future throughout his short career thus far.

Still just a teenager, he has already played for both Barcelona and PSG at youth level, spending nine years in La Masia’s famed academy before making the move to the French giants in 2019.

Simons failed to agree a new contract with Barca and is now reaping the rewards of his move to Ligue 1.

He has already made five first-team appearances for PSG and has played three times this season, recently featuring against Lyon as a second-half substitute in Ligue 1, while also playing twice in the Coupe de France, against EFAFC and Vannes.

Simons’ contract only runs until 2022, though, and reports have claimed that Rangers boss Giovanni van Bronckhorst is hopeful of securing his signature this month, potentially even on a pre-contract agreement that would see him link up with Rangers in the summer.

Van Bronckhorst, a former Netherlands international, is likely to be well aware of the talent Simons has; he is a Netherlands U19 international and has captained his country at that level.

White, who covers Ligue 1 for The Guardian and World Soccer Magazine, believes that a deal could well happen, although he does not believe it is close at this point.

Article image:Rangers transfer news: 'A lot of talk' around 'feasible' Ibrox target represented by Raiola

What has White said?

Speaking to GiveMeSport, he said: “I think it’s feasible. I haven’t heard anything that suggests that that’s close or ongoing but I think there’s a lot of talk about Xavi Simons.”

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How big a signing would this be?

Huge.

Now, first of all, it should be said that Simons is nothing more than potential at this point.

He has not been playing regularly in the first-team for either Barcelona or PSG so there is understandably going to be a degree of doubt over whether he will be able to live up to the billing he has had in certain quarters.

But, still, this would be Rangers signing an 18-year-old with his career ahead of him, who is under contract with one of the biggest clubs in world football.

Simons choosing to move to the Scottish side would be a headline-grabbing acquisition for van Bronckhorst and would prove that Rangers still have some real pull in European football.

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