Rangers alerted to availability of striker Erik Botheim after Krasnodar contract termination
Rangers have been alerted to the availability of Norway striker Erik Botheim who can be signed on a free after terminating his contract, TEAMtalk reports.
Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine he opted to free himself from his deal with Russian side Krasnodar in May, as reported by his agent on Instagram.
He had scored 15 league goals for Bodo/Glimt in Norway in the 2021 season, with a further eight in Europe, including two in the 6-1 Europa Conference League demolition of Jose Mourinho’s eventual winners Roma.
Before the Norwegian side dumped Glasgow rivals Celtic out of the competition he had been signed for £8million in the January window but never actually played for Krasnodar before terminating his contract.
He is now attracting widespread interest as a free agent, with clubs across Europe queuing up for him, and plenty of English sides in the mix.
As well as the Gers, and teams across the continent taking notice, Leeds, Southampton, Burnley, Watford, Fulham, Middlesbrough and Stoke are in the chase from the top two divisions south of the border.
Get moving
A number of these teams are reportedly preparing to offer the Norway under-21 international a contract so if the Light Blues want to get into the mix here they will have to work fast.
With Cedric Itten now departed and Alfredo Morelos’ future unclear from the point of view of both his recovery from thigh surgery and the possibility that teams will wish to sign him once he is fully fit, there is space for a goalscorer at Ibrox.
Injuries to the Colombian and his deputy, Kemar Roofe, at the business end of the 2021/22 season played a part in missing out on the Europa League crown.
Without a big-money exit there will not be major funds to throw around in the market, although the European run have boosted things somewhat.
So, despite the thoroughly negative circumstances of him becoming available, the chance to pick up a highly-rated striker for nothing has to be looked into.
He broke out in 2021 to the tune of 23 goals in the Norwegian league, which does not guarantee further success elsewhere, and without anything to go by from his time in Russia he is unproven outside of his homeland.
He has also barely played for months, so there are reasons to hesitate, but if the price is right it is a unique opportunity and it isn’t hard to see why there is such a queue for his signature.
He did score twice and assist another in three games on under-21 international duty during June, so he clearly hasn’t lost his touch entirely.
In other Rangers news, one first-team player wants to stay at Ibrox but may be forced into a rethink if events over the next few weeks go against him.