Rangers are in “advanced talks” to beat Celtic to Schalke 04 winger and Wales international Rabbi Matondo but face late competition from Ligue 1.
That’s according to French journalist Loic Tanzi, who claims that French sides Lorient and Brest are hopeful they can sabotage any prospective deal.
Tanzi is a verified Twitter user with close to 130k followers and works with the reputable RMC Sport in France so it is about as solid a source as we can expect.
It’s not the first time Rangers have been linked with a move for Rabbi Matondo in this window, with the Gers mentioned earlier in the summer.
Rangers reportedly leading the hunt for Schalke winger Rabbi Matondo
The 21-year-old spent last season on loan at Cercle Brugge in Belgium and impressed in the Pro League, netting 10 goals from out wide.
Returning to Germany at the beginning of the season, the Belgian side had a £3m option-to-buy for the player but failed to agree personal terms with Matondo.
Reports in Germany suggest that Schalke would only be expecting around £3m for the player this summer too with Rabbi Matondo in the final year of his deal [Waz].
Interestingly, that Waz report also mentioned Rangers as being interested in Matondo with the Ibrox club not the only ones.
Old Firm rivals Celtic were also being mentioned in Germany whilst Guardian journalist Will Unwin claimed both of the Scottish giants were “very interested” in the Welsh winger.
That would suggest Rangers have stolen a march on their Old Firm rivals with this one and whilst nothing is said and done, it’s always good to potentially get one over on the other side of the city.
The Old Firm aren’t the only ones who’ve been mentioned either, with Premier League trio Nottingham Forest, Leeds and Brentford linked just last month [Bild].
The links to Matondo are especially interesting given the fact that Schalke shelled out a not inconsiderable fee to take the winger from Man City only a few years ago.
The Waz report claims that the Welsh winger cost the German club £7.7m (€9m) whilst the likes of the Daily Mail reported at the time that the deal could reach as much as £11m.
All of this suggests Rangers would be pulling off a major coup by signing Rabbi Matondo and let’s hope the Welshman is the man to finally fill that right-winger berth in the Ibrox squad.
Born in Liverpool to parents from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rabbi Matondo represents Wales at international level and already has eleven caps for the country.
Still young and with plenty of room to develop, Matondo’s goals in Belgium last season will be of great interest to Rangers fans as the club continues to add firepower this summer.
The Gers have also added another free-scoring Welshman to the squad with the Ibrox side signing three internationals for a combined £300k.
