Dan Carter

Wed 23 August 2023 21:43, UK

Jesse Lingard will not be joining Rangers this summer, despite recent suggestions he could be Ibrox-bound, according to The Fourth Official.

The online source tweeted on Wednesday (23 August) that the former Manchester United man will not be joining Michael Beale’s ranks in the last week of the transfer window, despite an expectation of more business being conducted.

Lingard is a free agent having departed Nottingham Forest at the end of last season and has been training with West Ham United in an attempt to remain fit while not contracted to a club and there is a belief he may sign a short-term deal at the London Stadium.

Beale wants one more addition at Ibrox this summer as he looks to replace Ryan Kent in what would be a cherry on the cake addition to the blue side of Glasgow, but Lingard won’t be making the switch north of the border.

Could have been interesting

Lingard would have been a complete lottery of addition at Ibrox should he have made the switch to Glasgow this summer, depending on whether the Light Blues got the West Ham version or the Nottingham Forest less impactful type.

Beale has trimmed down his squad throughout this transfer window to ensure he has a team that is full of impactful performers rather than players who can be hit or miss and Lingard would fall much more in the second camp than the first.

The 30-year-old was also on huge wages at the City Ground and while his stock has fallen in the last 12 months, he wouldn’t have been a cheap addition at Ibrox which makes any transfer even more unlikely this summer.

What will be encouraging for Rangers fans however is the indication from the Fourth Official that there is a storm coming towards the end of the transfer window, implying that Beale hasn’t finished adding to his Gers squad just yet.

In other Rangers news, one BBC pundit has compared the Gers’ current situation to Postecoglou’s Celtic