Rangers have watched Leopold Querfeld this season and the Scottish Premiership giants could get the Rapid Vienna defender for a bargain fee of around £2 million.
Reporter Peter Linden has a point when he says that Rapid Vienna will not exactly be negotiating the defender’s future from a position of strength.
Leopold Querfeld has just over 12 months left on his contract at the Austrian outfit. And, with a 2.5 million euro release clause set to kick into life in the summer, Rangers or another of the youngster’s many suitors could get themselves a bargain for a player who has been a standout performer at a team sitting sixth in the Austrian Bundesliga.
Rangers watch Rapid Vienna defender Leopold Querfeld
“Querfeld (has been) the most stable and the best – at least defensively – Rapid player this season,” Linden writes in his blog.
“After this season, Querfeld can get out of the contract if a foreign club pays a transfer fee of 2.5 million euros for him. Udinese were already prepared to pay that much for him on the last day of the 2023 summer transfer window.
“At that time, (director Markus) Katzer demanded five million (euros). Now, Rapid must (sell him for a) cheaper (fee). Not a good position for Rapid and Katzer to find themselves in.”
HITC Football understands that Rangers have watched Querfelt and his Rapid team-mate Matthias Seidl. The latter is a highly-intelligent and very technical attacking midfielder, Seidl boasting an impressive goals return from his central role. With Tom Lawrence, Todd Cantwell and Kemar Roofe all capable of doing a similar job, however, you could argue that Querfeld would come in a little more handy at Ibrox.
A Connor Goldson repalcement?
The 6ft 3ins centre-half, capped 11 times by Austria at Under-21 level, could be a fine successor for the ageing and increasingly error-prone Connor Goldson.
Goldson, who’s form has left a lot to be desired of late, scored an own goal during last week’s 2-2 Europa League last-16 first-leg draw away to Benfica in Lisbon.
HITC have also been told that that Fulham, Burnley, Wolves and Leicester City are in the mix for Querfeld too, alongside Oliver Glasner‘s Crystal Palace. Ditto Rangers’ Old Firm neighbours.
Celtic and Rangers are also both fans of FC Twente left-back Gijs Smal. A cross-Glasgow battle for the talented Dutchman appears unlikely, however, with Smal seemingly on his way to Feyenoord instead.
