Philippe Clement may be a big admirer of the reported Rangers target, but whether the Ibrox boss is still around to see him arrive on the blue side of Glasgow is anyone’s guess.
And though Lyall Cameron may have reservations about swapping Dens Park for Ibrox after watching Rangers stumble at Dundee on Thursday night, falling 15 points adrift of Celtic in the process, an illness picked up pre-match denied the midfielder what some had labelled an ‘audition’ for a footballer Philippe Clement clearly likes.
The Rangers boss spoke in glowing terms about Lyall Cameron before Vaclav Cerny’s equaliser secured an underwhelming draw on Thursday night.
But as the axe hovers ominously over Clement’s head, if Cameron is to become a Gers player later this year, do not be surprised if his eventual arrival coincides with a change in the dugout.
Rangers lead race to sign Lyall Cameron from Dundee
According to the Scottish Sun, Rangers are not only ‘considering’ a move for Cameron – available to sign pre-contract terms with his Dundee deal running out in July – they are also leading the chase as things stand.
Technical director Nils Koppen insists that, while Rangers found real value in foreign markets with Hamza Igamane and Jefte, there will always be space at Ibrox for the finest homegrown talent in the nation.
And Cameron certainly fits the bill.
“Lyle Cameron, a very good midfielder,” Clement said in his pre-Dundee press conference. “A creative midfielder with decisive action in the last pass and a good solid base behind him also.”
The Daily Record, meanwhile, says that Rangers feel Cameron could be snapped up for a fee in the same range as the one they paid Aberdeen for Connor Barron.
Aberdeen confirmed that Rangers landed Barron for just shy of £650,000, with add-ons taking the deal to around £900,000. Should Cameron leave Dundee at the end of the campaign, Tony Docherty’s side would also be due a compensation fee, one which could be decided via a tribunal.
At just 22, if Rangers were able to land Cameron for less than the £1 million mark, this would represent potentially outstanding value for money.
Cameron has eight goals and seven assists from midfield this term. While Rangers do already possess plenty of talent in the centre of the park, it’s fair to say neither Nico Raskin, Mo Diomande or the aforementioned Barron are particularly prolific in the final third.
Andy Halliday wants Rangers to sign Dundee ace Josh Mulligan
While Cameron was unavailable on Thursday night, Dundee wideman Josh Mulligan did impress against a side who have been tipped to sign him in the near future.
Former Rangers midfielder Andy Halliday feels Mulligan would be a fine addition, particularly considering the recent injury issues Philippe Clement has had to contend with down the right-hand side. The tireless wideman set up Dundee’s sixth-minute opener, his fourth assist of the Premiership season.
“[Rangers] just need to prepare a squad, whether it’s depth, quality, line up players for the summer and try to do as much business as they can,” Halliday argues. “Two players I would sign right now; Lyall Cameron and Josh Mulligan. Honestly, I would sign the two of them.
“Mulligan is an athletic monster, I am signing him. I am signing the two of them on pre-contracts,” adds Halliday, who has come up against the Dundee pair this season with Motherwell.
“[Koppen] mentioned homegrown talent. See your Mulligans and Lyall Camerons, I’m not saying signing them is going to win Rangers the league. But see what [Luke] McCowan is doing for Celtic, get them two boys for proper squad depth, they will play games and do well for you.”
Rangers have been linked with Sasa Zdjelar of CSKA Moscow too, alongside NK Osijek midfielder Marko Soldo and Leon Belcar of Croatian outfit Varazdin.
