Rangers appear to have really missed the boat on Morgan Whittaker after Lazio launched a move for the Plymouth Argyle winger.
Rangers backed Michael Beale pretty handsomely in the transfer market and most supporters would argue that faith was misplaced.
One Beale signing has already been farmed out with Sam Lammers joining Utrecht and another may follow amid rising interest in midfielder Jose Cifuentes.
Big money was spent on Cyriel Dessers and Danilo but the jury is still out and Beale’s spending may well set Rangers back a little in the transfer market as the club attempt to recover.
There is one deal Beale wanted which now looks like a big miss though after Rangers failed to land winger Morgan Whittaker in 2023…
Rangers missed out on Morgan Whittaker, now Lazio want him
Reports in January of last year indicated that Rangers had failed with a bid to sign Whittaker from Swansea City.
Whittaker had been recalled from a loan spell at Plymouth Argyle and many assumed that his next move would be to Rangers.
The January window closed but reports suggested that Rangers would be back in with a new move for Whittaker in the summer.
Yet when the summer window got going, it was claimed that Rangers had backed away from Whittaker despite Beale’s interest.
Whittaker ended up joining Plymouth Argyle permanently and that move has proven to be a masterstroke.
The 23-year-old has smashed 16 goals and seven assists in 31 games this season, becoming one of the top attackers in the Championship.
Whittaker now looks to be well out of Rangers’ reach as Fabrizio Romano now reports that Serie A side Lazio have made a shock approach to Argyle for the winger’s signature.
Lazio seem to be focusing on the Championship market right now as they also wanted Sunderland wide man Jack Clarke.
Maurizio Sarri’s side are now going for Whittaker and hope to pull off a stunning move ahead of the transfer deadline.
The Pilgrims are still fighting to keep Whittaker at Home Park but the lure of a stunning move to Rome may be difficult to ignore.
It’s unclear just how much Lazio would be paying, but it will certainly be far beyond the money Rangers were offering a year ago.
Whittaker will now go down as a transfer miss for Rangers and after spending on some misfits under Beale, some will wonder why Whittaker was the one who slipped through the net.
