Arsenal demands over centre-back Auston Trusty could have Rangers looking more closely at Nottingham Forest’s Jonathan Panzo amid links to both players.
According to the Daily Record and journalist Scott Burns, USA international defender Auston Trusty is a target for Rangers heading into the summer window.
This comes after reports last week claimed Rangers were looking at the 24-year-old Birmingham City loanee ahead of next season amid talk of a reported £2m deal.
The report also claims that Rangers are considering a move for Nottingham Forest centre-back Jonathan Panzo, who has spent the campaign on loan at Premier League promotion chasers Coventry City.
However, a move for 22-year-old centre-back Panzo could be more realistic, with the Daily Record claiming Arsenal’s demands over Auston Trusty could derail Rangers’ interest.
That would suggest that those claims of a £2m deal may well be short-lived, with Rangers looking to avoid the same defensive disaster which dramatically impacted this campaign.
MORE RANGERS STORIES
Rangers hunt reinforcements amid Auston Trusty and Jonathan Panzo links
Rangers’ defensive issues have been central to a season where the wheels fell off on the pitch and, eventually, off it as the Ibrox club goes through a key evolution.
High-earning Swedish international centre-back Filip Helander hasn’t played all season for Rangers, while John Souttar, Ben Davies and Connor Goldson have all missed big parts of the campaign.
It’s contributed to a disastrous 10 months at Ibrox and it is a position Rangers boss Michael Beale has got to get right heading into the new season.
With Helander set to leave upon the expiration of his contract, and Ben Davies also linked with the Rangers exit, at least two defenders will be needed heading into the new campaign. Maybe even three.
Arsenal centre-back Trusty and Nottingham Forest talent Panzo represent strong options, but it appears Rangers could be priced out of a move for the former.