Rangers' first signing of the summer transfer window is already on the cards, with a verbal agreement believed to have been in place for a while now.
Rangers linked with summer signings
Philippe Clement's reign is still in its relative infancy, and while January afforded him the chance to make new signings, the summer will allow him more time to pick out targets who are truly the right fit for his system and long-term vision, as opposed to the rather rushed nature of the winter window.
For starters, it could be that Rangers seal permanent deals for a number of current loanees, with attacking duo Abdallah Sima and Fabio Silva both potentially staying on beyond the end of the campaign. They have made positive impacts this season, but whether both stay on remains to be seen, and could depend on the club's financial position and whether they are playing Champions League football next season.
Meanwhile, Hearts striker Lawrence Shankland was a target back in January but remained at his current club for the time being, and it is easy to see him once again emerging as a target. His tally of 20 goals in the Scottish Premiership this season is more than anyone else, and at 28, he could hit the ground running immediately and be a top signing for at least three or four years.
Attack isn't the only area Rangers are reportedly looking at, however, with Rapid Vienna pair Leopold Querfeld and Matthias Seidl seen as targets, with the former a towering centre-back and the latter a goalscoring midfielder.
Rangers have Barisic replacement sorted already
According to a new update from Football Scotland, Rangers have a deal to sign Jefte from Fluminense in the pipeline, having been strongly linked with him during the January transfer window only for the deal to collapse.
The report says that a switch to Ibrox is "on the cards", while an update back in January claimed that there is a verbal agreement to make it happen in the summer after the failed winter move.
Jefte could be seen as the ideal replacement for Borna Barisic in the summer window, with the 31-year-old looking highly likely to seal a move to Turkish side Trabzonspor, having reportedly accepted a "big-money offer" from them.
At 20, the Fluminense ace is a far younger, more long-term option than the Croatian, and while he is still maturing as a player, the hope is that he can come straight in and be an influential figure from the off.
Granted, he is yet to make a senior appearance for his current club, but he featured 28 times for APOEL Nicosia during a loan spell there last year, scoring three goals and getting four assists, showing the quality he can provide in attacking areas.
The Rangers Journal have heaped praise on him in the past, giving fans a little insight into his skill-set: "He’s also not afraid of having a pop at goal and has a thunderous strike in his arsenal. He looks like he could be a creative threat while also offering some goalscoring prowess himself."
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