Following on from Bright Osayi-Samuel and Alfie Doughty, Ben Davies of Preston North End is said to be a target for both sides of the Glasgow divide but the Championship side have taken steps to avoid losing the centre-half for nothing.
A report in Football Insider claims that he is being offered a club record £17,000 per week for the £5million rated defender to extend his contract having rejected previous offers to prolong his stay in Lancashire, although he is out of contract in the summer, he can’t, as yet, speak to other English clubs but this rule does not apply to Rangers, or Celtic, who could offer him a deal now.
Likewise, his teammate Daniel Johnson, who had been the subject of intense speculation in the summer linking him with a move to Rangers, is in a similar boat and after a bid of £2million was rejected by Preston in the hope of landing nearly double that, he could be set to sign for nothing – if we renew our interest.
Do we need another centre-half?
Yes
No
Given the financial implications of Covid-19, this is a market that should be fully exploited by Ross Wilson and Steven Gerrard, replace potential departures with players of a similar quality but without any outlay on transfer fees, if we can sell them on further down the line at a profit then it is an even greater success.
There is always a hint of scepticism when both Old Firm clubs are linked with players, yes, we have a similar budget but it won’t be the first time an agent drops our name in the attempts to get his client a better deal.