Rangers could land Abdallah Sima and Steven Alzate transfers in Brighton double-deal
Rangers may have been handed a way to smooth the process of trying to sign Abdallah Sima on a permanent deal from Brighton & Hove Albion after being offered Steven Alzate.
The Senegalese forward has been a vital part of the Gers season under both Michael Beale and Philippe Clement since his summer arrival on loan, as the clear standout from the attacking recruits.
A return of 15 goals and two assists in all competitions playing off the wing has been instrumental in keeping the club’s head above water during struggles earlier this season, and assisting the revival under the new manager.
Keeping him at Ibrox beyond the end of the campaign would appear to be an obvious transfer priority, not least since the 22-year-old has already indicated he would be in favour of an arrangement being reached.
The fact that Sima is on board with staying at Rangers has already cleared one major hurdle in avoiding the same sort of disappointment felt when Malik Tillman returned to Bayern Munich last summer.
But the finances involved in doing a deal for the Premier League man, who has yet to play for the Seagulls once after successive loans at Stoke City, Angers, and now the Light Blues, has been highlighted as a stumbling block.
Rangers Review’s Chris Jack has already expressed his fears that Rangers could be priced out of a permanent deal, potentially leaving Clement with a big gap to fill in his attack come the summer.
So the news that Brighton have been attempted to convince the Gers to spend a small fee to sign Colombian midfielder Alzate this month rather than him leave the Amex at the end of the campaign for free may offer hope.
It is thought that the 25-year-old, who is currently on a second loan spell in Belgium with Standard Liege, is not currently the priority at Ibrox despite the English club pushing for a deal.
However, if there is some interest from Clement and his staff as DHNet (3 January) indicate may be the case then they could potentially bring forward a move for Alzate and insist on combining it with more preferential terms on a Sima deal.
Clearly the double-move would be easier said than done, but since the January situation with the Seagulls midfielder has the Premier League side approaching Rangers then it gives the Glasgow side a bargaining chip when the roles are reversed over Sima negotiations.
In other Rangers news, another forward from the English top flight wants to move to Ibrox after Fabio Silva’s loan from Wolves.