Caleb Chukwuemeka, who recently joined Livingston on loan from Aston Villa, has confirmed that Rangers were interested in signing him during the summer transfer window.
The Gers were first credited with interest in Chukwuemeka in June 2021, when he was a Northampton Town player [Daily Mail].
It was thought that Rangers were in a three-way battle to land the teenager with Villa and Tottenham [Sunday Mirror], and Villa eventually won the race, with the promising forward joining the Birmingham club in August.
A productive few months of PL2 football followed but he’s now headed out to build up senior experience, joining Livi on loan until the end of the season.
Aston Villa starlet confirms Rangers interest
Just over a week before David Martindale’s side travel to Ibrox to face the Gers in a Premiership fixture, the 19-year-old has confirmed that the links were genuine.
“I remember my agent saying to me that Rangers were interested in me in the summer,” he said [Football Scotland]. “It was a crazy coincidence that Steven Gerrard came to Villa as the manager.”
“You can only learn from a guy like him. Everyone knows what he has done in the game and I was excited when he came to Villa.
“Now I need to show him what I can do here and hopefully get my chance there next season.”
Rangers have done some shopping in the EFL in recent years, so it’s no major surprise that the interest in Chukwuemeka was genuine.
He would have had a chance to compete for silverware and perhaps there would have been a clearer pathway to first-team football for him at Ibrox.
However, the lure of the Premier League appears to have been a key factor and it’s likely that the fact that his brother, Carney, was already on the books at Villa made his decision that little bit easier.
It’ll be interesting to see how he fares in Scottish football over the coming months, following a return of seven goals and five assists in just nine PL2 appearances for Villa’s U23s.
