George Overhill

Thu 19 January 2023 15:10, UK

Todd Cantwell is in line to become the first Rangers signing of the Michael Beale era after a fee was agreed with Norwich, Sky Sports have reported.

The Gers boss has spoken glowingly of the 24-year-old wide man this month and it has been widely reported that the Ibrox club were pushing for a deal during the window, despite his contract expiring in the summer.

That appears to be imminent now with the fee finally agreed between the Championship side and the Glasgow giants for a January move.

Reporting live on Sky Sports News on Thursday afternoon David Garrido said: “Breaking transfer news for you, which is that Rangers have agreed a fee with Norwich City for midfielder Todd Cantwell.

“The deal is subject to a medical but a step taken in the right direction as far as the completion of this transfer is concerned.

“A fee is agreed between Norwich and Rangers.”

The clip was posted on Twitter with the caption: “𝗕𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗞𝗜𝗡𝗚 Sky Sports News understands midfielder Todd Cantwell is set to join Rangers from Norwich.”

At last

The medical must still be cleared but Beale’s satisfaction in January media commitments with the direction of the window’s movement appear to be well-founded.

How much the club end up paying for a player who looks destined to leave Carrow Road sooner or later will be interesting, but with offers rejected from the likes of Blackburn Rovers he is clearly a man in demand.

Having lost his way in recent years there is an element of risk involved in this move, but if the Gers boss can help Cantwell recapture the form that made him a Premier League regular and a big-money target then it could be a major boost.

Already Beale has overseen an improvement in results, even if the performances still leave plenty of room to grow still, and an in-form Cantwell would add to that.

The manager looks to be finally starting to shape his squad in his own image, and based on what he has done with the players he inherited that should only be a good thing for Rangers.

He has spoken about only wanting to add signings who are definitely going to contribute, rather than just fleshing out the squad, so assuming Cantwell does arrive imminently he is likely to feature heavily sooner rather than later.

In other Rangers news, a significant update from Fabrizio Romano on the Gers’ transfer business this month has been disputed.