Rangers to ‘quickly hijack’ bid to seal Matija Frigan transfer after new twist
Rangers will aim to strengthen their attacking options this summer, with question marks surrounding big-name players already.
Russell Martin has been appointed as manager to much scepticism, and he will need to be backed in the transfer market if he is to stand any chance of success.
The 49ers Enterprises and Andrew Cavenagh have promised funding since completing a takeover of Rangers, and they will aim to make moves quickly to strengthen.
Croatian hitman Matija Frigan refuses to go away, and it looks like the Bears are ready to take action.
Rangers want to hijack Frigan deal
Cyriel Dessers could be one of many departures despite finishing the season as the top scorer in the Scottish Premiership, and several attackers could arrive.
German side Hamburg want to sign Frigan, who has excelled for Westerlo in the Belgian Pro League, but it now appears that Rangers will try and beat them to the striker.
| Stat | Frigan |
| Appearances | 41 |
| Goals | 14 |
| Assists | 4 |
Belgian outlet Voetbalkrant (9 June) have now reported that while Hamburg are interested in the 22-year-old, Rangers want to “quickly hijack” a deal for the centre-forward.
Westerlo have set an asking price of around £8.4million, with Premier League side Sunderland also interested.
Frigan needs time to develop
Frigan had a difficult debut season at Westerlo last year after initially breaking out in Croatia at HNK Rijeka, but enjoyed his last campaign with 14 goals in all competitions.
However, this scoring rate was still not clinical enough to earmark him as a potential starter for Rangers next season, and if his asking price cannot be negotiated, the deal would represent a huge risk.
The attacker is clearly a talent with a lot of potential, having managed 15 goals in 32 games for Rijeka as a teenager, but he would arrive with pressure to deliver immediately if he moved to Ibrox.
If Rangers do heavily pursue him and beat Hamburg to his signature, it will show that the Ibrox club believe in his potential as a centre-forward, and at 22, he could be a long-term option for the future.