Rangers’ pursuit of a European midfielder who could replace Todd Cantwell has been dismissed by a reliable journalist. The Scottish giants are now a few games into their 2024/25 season, picking up their first win in the league over the weekend as they beat Motherwell 2-1 at Hampden Park.
Philippe Clement’s side have been very busy this summer, as they have made eight new additions, but as speculation mounts over a player like Todd Cantwell, the club could still be looking for fresh faces in what remains of the transfer window.
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ByDan EmeryAug 13, 2024 Cantwell expected to leave Rangers
Cantwell has been at Rangers since January of last year, when he joined the club from Championship side Norwich City. The 26-year-old has gone on to feature heavily for the Scottish side since arriving, playing 64 times in all competitions.
During that time, he has scored 14 goals and chipped in with 12 assists, scoring five goals and recording four assists in the Scottish Premiership last season. However, his future now looks away from Rangers, as earlier in this window Clement confirmed that the midfielder had asked to leave the club.
Since then, Cantwell has been training with the club’s B team, as interest has emerged from Turkey, in particular Trabzonspor. However, a bid has yet to arrive, but with his future looking away from Ibrox, Rangers will be looking at potential replacements.
Rangers move for Gustavo Puerta is now unlikely
It was reported earlier this week that Rangers had made an offer to Bayer Leverkusen to sign midfielder Gustavo Puerta. The report stated that they faced competition from Brondby as well as Belgian side Anderlecht, but those reports have now been dismissed.
According to Football Scotland’s Mark Hendry, Rangers have not made any contact with Leverkusen to sign Puerta. The 21-year-old was on the club’s radar during the January transfer window, when Clement was looking to bolster his midfield options.
But according to this latest update, Puerta is not on the club’s radar now, and Rangers haven’t been in touch with the German side since their initial interest. The Gers’ interest now seems to have faded, with reports in Denmark stating that other teams are moving ahead for the midfielder.
Puerta joined Leverkusen in the January transfer window last year and has gone on to play 10 times for the German club, with all those appearances coming last season.
Apps
10
Goals
0
Assists
0
Stats as per Transfermarkt
The midfielder played seven times in the Bundesliga and three times in the Europa League, totalling 229 minutes of football. The 21-year-old signed a five-and-a-half-year contract when he joined the Bundesliga side in 2023, which means his contract still has four years left to run, and it is a contract that sees him earn a reported £4,000-a-week.
Puerta has shown great versatility in his short career, as the 21-year-old is able to operate as a central midfielder, both in attacking and defending roles, and he has also been known to play out wide when needed.