Thomas Tuchel has told perennially Rangers-linked Scotland international Billy Gilmour that he not part of Chelsea’s plans at present as he closes in on a move to Brighton.
That’s according to the Telegraph, who are reporting that the 21-year-old midfielder looks likely to complete a permanent deadline day switch to the AMEX Stadium and Graham Potter’s side.
The report claims that Frank Lampard and Everton were also interested in a move for Billy Gilmour but that Brighton looks like the likelier destination as the window prepares to close.
Many Rangers fans may rue missing out on the midfielder with Billy Gilmour linked to Ibrox almost every single window and we don’t expect that to change as he develops in his career.
But it’s clear that if this permanent move is to be completed – with some valuing Gilmour to the tune of £10m – it is unrealistic to expect Rangers were ever a likely destination for the former Ibrox academy kid.
The news comes amid some ambitious links to Billy Gilmour from Greece, with Olympiakos another side mentioned as the window entered its final furlong.
Reports coming out of Greece claiming that the Athens outfit could throw a late curveball into the Brighton deal appear to have been short-lived with a move to the Seasiders edging closer.
Billy Gilmour to Brighton as Rangers fans look for new midfielder
Rangers fans believe that the Ibrox club are a creative, goalscoring, deep-lying midfielder short of their full-complement with plenty of others expecting an attacker added to the squad as well.
However the latest sounds coming out of Rangers suggest that the Gers may not be making any moves despite securing the riches of Champions League qualification.
The Ibrox side have a super-inflated wage bill at present due to a number of injury prone players failing to make up the number in the squad and leaving the club decidedly short.
The likes of Filip Helander, John Souttar, Ben Davies, Ianis Hagi, Nmandi Ofoborh, Alex Lowry and now potentially Tom Lawrence all injured at present.
A couple of players being consistently injured is unlucky but this many first-teamers being out consistently is a failure of squad management and there is scrutiny on the club’s transfer dealings heading into this season.
Especially considering that many supporters believe the club let the league title slip after a series of poor windows at Ibrox last season.
