Rangers may not be out of the race yet with BK Hacken striker Benie Traore insisting that he is not yet on the verge of joining Premier League newcomers Sheffield United.
With Sam Lammers, Abdallah Sima and Cyriel Dessers all touching down in Glasgow, casual observes may be forgiven for assuming that Rangers were finished as far as attacking additions are concerned.
But perhaps not.
Antonio Colak could still follow Alfredo Morelos out the door; Rangers open to selling for a fee of £2 million (The Sun). The Croatian’s exit – potentially to a club in the German Bundesliga or Italy’s Serie A – would leave Dessers as the only real centre-forward at Mick Beale’s disposal.
Hence Rangers’ interest in Benie Traore.
Benie Traore could replace Antonio Colak at Rangers
With 15 goals in 20 games this season – 12 in 14 Swedish Allsvenskan outings – Traore is one of the most potent attackers in Scandinavian football.
Rangers saw a £2.8 million bid rejected recently. And, with Aftonbladet reporting that Hacken and Sheffield United have now agreed on a fee of £4 million, the implication appeared to be that Traore was slipping through Rangers’ fingers, a move to Bramall Lane a case of ‘when’ rather than ‘if’.
But, speaking to the Goteborgs Posten on Wednesday night, the player himself insists that ‘nothing’ is done as far as his move to the Steel City is concerned. Rangers are not out of the race just yet, even if the Blades can see the chequered flag in the distance.
“Sheffield United? They are good and a great club. But I can’t confirm anything because nothing is concrete,” Traore explains.
“I think you will find out about what happens, when it happens.”
Rangers are still alive at this stage. Although, after investing heavily on Dessers last week, does Beale really have enough money left in the budget to spend a further £4 million on Traore too?
“We cannot comment on the information about Benie Traore,” Hacken’s managing director, Marcos Jodin, tells Aftonbladet. “Other than that there is great interest.”
Traore was absent during Hacken’s 3-1 victory over Welsh outfit The New Saints in Wednesday’s Champions League qualifier. But that, according to Jodin, was because Traore only recently returned to Sweden after attending a funeral in the Ivory Coast.
