Glasgow Rangers head of recruitment Nils Koppen has been hard at work to improve the playing squad after the disappointing end to the 2023/24 campaign.
In May, the Light Blues missed out on the Scottish Premiership title, finishing second, and were then beaten by their closest rivals in the SFA Cup final.
That meant that Philippe Clement ended his first year at Ibrox with one trophy, the League Cup, under his belt and the Belgian boss could be hoping for more pieces of silverware next season.
Oscar Cortes, Jefte, Connor Barron, and Clinton Nsiala have already been signed to bolster the ranks, whilst the club are also reportedly trying to sign Yusuf Kabadayi from Bayern Munich and are closing in on forward Hamza Igamane for £1.5m.
All of those players are aged 21 or under and this illustrates the transfer strategy that Koppen and Clement have put in place this summer, as they look for young players with the potential to improve.
With this in mind, it makes sense that the Scottish giants have now been linked with an interest in an exciting young marksman from England.
Rangers have held talks to sign 18-year-old starlet
According to Secret Scout on X, the Light Blues are among a clutch of clubs keen on a deal to sign Middlesbrough centre-forward Ajay Matthews this summer.
The report claims that a number of teams are interested in snapping him up from the English Championship side, including the Scottish giants.
It states that the 18-year-old starlet looks set to leave Michael Carrick's squad this summer and that has opened the door for Rangers, or another club, to swoop in for him.
Celtic, Newcastle United, Brentford, Southampton, and Brighton & Hove Albion are the other sides in the running to secure a deal for the academy marksman.
Rangers, alongside the other clubs mentioned, have held talks to sign the teenage sensation, with Koppen seemingly keen to bring him over to Ibrox this summer.
The Secret Scout also stated that the teams in the running, including the Gers, are hopeful that they can convince him to make a move away from Teeside, with Glasgow a possible destination for him.
Koppen has already held talks over a potential deal for the attacker and the Belgian chief must now work hard to beat off competition from the likes of Celtic, Newcastle, and Southampton, as the Boro youngster could be Zak Lovelace 2.0 for the Light Blues.
Rangers played a blinder with Zak Lovelace
In the summer of 2022, Rangers swooped in to sign 16-year-old striker Lovelace from English Championship side Millwall after he had rejected a new contract with the Lions.
Despite his young age, the versatile attacker had already played five times in the second tier for their first-team, which spoke to how highly he was rated by them.
The teenage talent was brought in to initially play for the B team and immediately proved himself to be a fantastic talent with the potential to emerge as a first-team option.
Appearances
26
3
6
Goals
15
1
2
Assists
6
0
4
As you can see in the table above, Lovelace hit the ground running at academy level for the Scottish giants with his ability to score and create goals.
The former Millwall star operated through the middle as a centre-forward and on either flank as a winger yet still managed to remain consistent in his end product, with 18 goals and ten assists in 35 matches.
Michael Beale rewarded him with a first-team debut in a 3-0 win against Celtic in May of last year and the teenage whiz made a further two appearances in the Premiership during the first half of last season.
Unfortunately, a hamstring injury kept him out from October 2023 to February 2024 and then March 2024 to present, which derailed his progress at Ibrox.
Clement will now be hoping that the young talent will return from injury sooner rather than later to continue his impressive progress and eventually emerge as a regular first-team option for him, with his fantastic ability in front of goal.
Rangers could now land another version of Lovelace by dipping into the English academy market once again to sign Matthews from Middlesbrough.
Why Rangers should sign Ajay Matthews
The great thing about signings like this is that they do not cost multi-millions and there is a lower risk attached than bringing players straight into the first-team.
Rangers can afford to gamble on talented prospects in the hope that one or two out of a batch of recruits for the academy end up making it in the senior squad, which would then save Koppen and his team millions on an immediate first-team signing in that position.
Finding a consistent goalscorer at senior level is a tough ask and that is why snapping Matthews up from Middlesbrough as a young talent is a gamble worth taking for the Gers, when you consider his record at youth level.
Per Fabrizio Romano, the 18-year-old starlet racked up a staggering 16 goals in 17 starts for Boro at academy level throughout the 2023/24 campaign.
Carrick claimed that the teenage dynamo proved himself as a "goalscorer" during the season and handed the talent two first-team appearances in the Championship, against Leeds United and Cardiff City.
Appearances
12
7
Goals
4
5
Assists
2
3
As you can see in the table above, nine of his aforementioned 16 goals came at league level for the academy and he showcased his ability to provide creativity as well as a goal threat.
The Rangers target produced an eye-catching 14 direct goal contributions in 19 outings, which shows that he has the potential to make a big impact in the final third on a consistent basis.
However, like Lovelace, he is yet to consistently prove himself at first-team level and that is why Matthews would initially come in to lead the line for the B team, with a view to breaking into Clement's side in the future.
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Therefore, the Gers could land their next version of the English forward by signing the Boro youngster ahead of Celtic ahead of next season.