Glasgow Rangers keen on bringing Nigerian striker Stephen Odey to Scotland for next season

GLASGOW Rangers are contemplating bringing Nigerian striker Stephen Odey to Scotland next season in a deal that would be worth around £4m as the clubs looks to strengthen its forward line during the summer transfer window.

Odey, 24, is owned by Belgian club Genk but spent last season on loan to Danish Superliga club Randers where he did well, scoring 13 goals and providing two assists in 32 appearances in all competitions. His loan deal included an option to purchase and Randers is expected to exercise that over the coming days, making the Danish side his parent club.

This would mean that all potential suitors would have to deal directly with Randers and it is believed that Rangers' arch rivals Celtic, are interested in the striker too. Randers are demanding a fee of around £4m from clubs interested and recently rejected a bid of €3m plus add-ons from an unnamed Belgian Pro League club.

One source close to the deal said: “Celtic have approached Randers about the possibility of signing Odey and asked about their price tag for the 24 year old, but the Hoops have not yet submitted a bid as of now. The interest from Rangers is believed to be more concrete as it is confirmed that preliminary talks have been held with sporting director Ross Wilson.”

A fee in the region of £3.75m is said to be enough to secure his services from Randers. At Glasgow Rangers, Odey is said to be lined up as a possible replacement for Colombian striker Alfredo Morelos, who is expected to leave, with Turkish giants Besiktas very keen on acquiring his services.