Rangers lose momentum in summer business as Luis Palma transfer blow emerges
A deal to sign top target Luis Palma is now dead in the water for Rangers which may leave Michael Beale desperately searching for alternatives.
The Gers have also long been linked with the Honduran talent after Athlos News on 27 May revealed that Rangers made a bid of £2.6m for the 23-year-old which was turned down by Aris.
A report shared on Twitter by The 4th Official who added to the reports in Greece [8 June] confirmed that Rangers have now pulled out of the race for the 23-year-old Honduran international.
According to Greek outlet Sdna reporting on 9 June there seems a huge distance in valuation for the six-cap Honduran with Aris pricing their asset at €5m (£4.2m) and Rangers not wanting to pay more than the £2.6m bid they submitted which means any deal is now all but over, despite Palma wanting a transfer to Ibrox.
Rangers are keen to bolster their squad next season, with manager Michael Beale admitting he is hopeful of at least five additions during the summer transfer window and has already accused three of them having completed deals for Kieran Dowell, Dujon Sterling and Jack Butland.
Palma, given his age profile, potential suitability to Beale’s expansive system and stark potential will have represented such smart business for Rangers. More crucially, with the Gers looking to replace Ryan Kent’s quality on the flanks, the Honduran international seemed the ideal and exciting fit.
Rangers obviously have to shop in a different market to find talent to much of Europe, and the way their fierce rivals Celtic have succeeded in monopolising the Asian market is something the Light Blues are clearly keen to utilise as they seek to match the Hoops’ stunning recruitment strategy.
The 23-year-old does seem an unknown quantity to some Gers supporters, but that’s how their Old Firm rivals have cemented their dominance by signing the likes of Kyogo Furuhashi and Jota who were unproven commodities but have completely transformed the Hoops’ game under the departed Ange Postecoglu and that is a transfer approach the Gers should be looking to exploit.
However, that doesn’t seem to be the case any longer with Rangers unwilling to spend around £4m on a player who may well have provided the secret ingredient for Beale in trying to topple Celtic next season.
Just who do they turn to next to secure their ideal Kent replacement? With valuable time being placed on trying to sign a striker and a centre-back also, Rangers may well have lost valuable time in trying to identify a winger target when they’ve had an ideal fit staring them in the face.
After swiftly and efficiently securing deals for three of their key targets, it certainly seems as though the Gers have lost crucial momentum on sealing a fourth. Let’s hope this latest setback doesn’t scupper Beale’s overall summer plans.
In other Rangers news, work permit issues have now emerged which means that the club may not be able to complete a major signing this summer.