Rangers and Celtic both in hunt for Bristol City teenager Reuben McAllister
Rangers face competition from Celtic and former boss Steven Gerrard for Bristol City’s teenage talent Reuben McAllister, according to The Sun.
The 16-year-old, who is the son of former Scotland international Jamie McAllister, is attracting wide-spread interest since making his debut for the Robins under-23s side in October at the age of 15.
English Premier League scouts have reportedly been “flocking” to watch the attacking midfielder ever since, with Gerrard’s Aston Villa and Saudi-rich Newcastle the primary contenders from south of the border.
The youngster is yet to sign professional terms and qualifies for both Scotland and England, but according to the Bristol Post the Robins would be “loath” to lose him.
The Gers have only just reached an agreement with Villa over a £350,000 fee in compensation for the departure of goalscoring sensation Rory Wilson, and could now be set to go up against the club in the hunt for another highly-rated youngster.
Wonderkid
While the situation around Wilson had the Bears at a disadvantage the shoe could be on the other foot with McAllister.
The Sun reported that representatives at Ibrox had taken legal action before returning to negotiations with their Villains counterparts, as they feared that FIFA would rule that the move was a cross-border transfer and only award them around a third of what they will now receive.
Presumably as a player based in England it would benefit either of the Glasgow sides were they to make the most attractive offer to the teenager, potentially making Bristol City more willing to negotiate.
If Gerrard again gets to the front of the queue though it would be a double-blow to lose out on two hotly-tipped young players to the former Light Blues boss.
The Gers academy is home to some strong talent of late, but the ability to keep hold of them, as with Wilson and Billy Gilmour before him, looks to be an issue.
In other Rangers news, a major U-turn from a BBC reporter has thrown a reported transfer chase into a completely different light.