Rangers are eyeing a move for Ludogorets winger Kiril Despodov, according to Tema Sport.
Despodov is a Bulgaria international who has 26 senior caps and three goals to his name.
He began his club career in Bulgaria with Litex Lovech before moving to CSKA Sofia, for whom he scored 25 goals and notched 26 assists in 80 appearances.
The speedster then moved to Italy to join Cagliari, but things didn’t go according to plan for him in Serie A.
He made just five appearances before heading out on loan to Sturm Graz and then back to Bulgaria with Ludogorets, who he eventually joined on a permanent deal six months ago.
His current contract runs until 2024, but Bulgarian outlet Tema Sport report that Rangers are weighing up a move to bring him to Glasgow.
However, it’s claimed that Hammarby’s Akinkunmi Amoo, Nacional’s Brian Ocampo and Rijeka’s Robert Muric are all above him on the Gers’ transfer wish list.
The inclusion of these names casts doubt on the originality of the report, though, as the information appears to mirror a recent scouting report from Patrick Caskie on Twitter.
Would Despodov to Rangers make sense?
We can’t claim to be experts on Bulgarian football, but there are several positive points about Despodov that make him a possible target.
Rangers are in need of reinforcements in wide areas, particularly on the right flank. While Despodov doesn’t exclusively play on that side, he’s capable of doing so and has been deployed there effectively on a number of occasions this season.
He’s also experienced whilst still being a good age. 26 is an impressive tally of senior caps for a 25-year-old, while he’s been involved in a successful title charge already at Ludogorets and has played in the Europa League.
Finally, he’s proven himself to be capable of both scoring and creating goals.
In 29 appearances so far this season, he’s found the net nine times and notched 12 assists, four of which came in Ludogorets’ 4-0 Bulgarian Super Cup win over his old club CSKA Sofia in July.
