Manchester United midfielder Hannibal could be the latest name to haunt Rangers director of recruitment Nils Koppen in a challenging summer.
The Gers have missed out on a whole host of names with Senegalese forward Abdallah Sima bringing the list to eight by our last count.
But with Brighton forward Sima closing in on a move to French side Brest, Rangers’ transfer disappointment might not be set to end there this week.
That’s because Manchester United midfielder Hannibal has emerged as a target for a team of Premier League hopefuls in the wake of Rangers’ Champions League capitulation.
It comes after reports down south distanced Rangers from the Red Devils midfielder.
Burnley hunt Hannibal
As explained by the Athletic, Burnley are the latest side to express an interest in Manchester United midfielder Hannibal.
The 21-year-old Tunisian international looks set to be on the move from Old Trafford this summer after entering the final year of his United contract.
A talented midfielder for whom opportunities have been limited in Manchester, the report claims that a loan deal and a permanent transfer are both potential options.
Mentioning Hannibal’s time at Birmingham City and Sevilla, the report does not make any mention of apparent Rangers interest in the midfielder.
Rangers have been linked to Hannibal by the likes of Fabrizio Romano but finances are known to be a sticking point in any would-be deal throughout negotiations.
The situation is further complicated by Rangers’ failure to reach the Champions League after crashing out to Dynamo Kyiv last week.
Rangers transfer tension rises
It hasn’t always gone to plan for Rangers in this transfer window.
There are a number of high-profile targets ranging from Jose Cordoba to Yusuf Kabadayi who have either failed to move to Rangers or chosen to move elsewhere.
There have of course been success stories.
Philippe Clement hailed the recruitment team for unearthing Jefte following the win over St Johnstone, whilst Connor Barron, Mohamed Diomande and Vaclav Cerny look like good signings.
But Rangers fans know that they need much more business conduced before the window slams shut with the focus on shifting players out of Rangers in order to bring names in.
Rangers are quite clearly in no position to be trumping Premier League hopefuls like Burnley to a Manchester United player and we don’t think that’s likely to change.
It once again shows the cost of Champions League failure with Rangers’ transfer business set to go to the wire this summer.
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