Michael Beale’s recruitment trip for Rangers to Italy caused a stir this week with Harry Winks’s name being the one mentioned to cause most excitement.
The Tottenham Hotspur midfielder is currently on loan with Sampdoria where the Serie A outfit have a £22m option to buy clause.
With just 14 appearances all season though, it is looking increasingly unlikely that I Blucerchiati pull the trigger on their option even if the injury hit Harry Winks has featured in every game bar one since January.
The biggest stumbling block for any potential suitor will be his staggering £91,000 per week salary.
Signed in 2018, the contract is a hangover from when Winks was tipped for bigger things and played both European Championship and World Cup qualifying matches for England.
So why are Rangers linked with a move for Harry Winks?
One connection is that he has been rumoured to be a target before when Steven Gerrard was in charge, with former Ger Andy Halliday revealing that Harry Winks was even at Auchenhowie.
Again, last summer, Rangers were said to be interested in a loan move for the 27-year old.
The former Gers gaffer had enormous pull and, with Michael Beale as his number two, was able to attract players to Ibrox that might normally have come.
It was only on loan but he was still one of England’s most promising players at the time.
The other link is that Winks shares the same agent as two other long-term rumours, Oli McBurnie and Billy Gilmour, with the agency familiar to Rangers with the club having dealt with them before regarding the on-loan Spurs midifelder.
CAA Base Ltd, with Italian speaking Frank Trimboli as their head of football, also happens to be the agency that Ben Davies, Leon King and Nnamdi Ofoborh are also represented by.
Only Wasserman have more players at Rangers.
Michael Beale didn’t say specifically that he was meeting players in Italy and Winks hasn’t been officially linked but the coincidences are starting to build up.
Managers and sporting directors alike find a comfort in using people that they can trust and, despite his current contract, Winks’ name could well have been mentioned over a bowl of pasta and a glass of wine.
It’s not what you know, it’s who you know.
