Rangers could be set to miss out on teenage strike sensation Petar Ratkov after reports that RB Salzburg are about to step up their interest.
The towering 19-year old has been in fine form for FK TSC, firing his side into second place in the Serbian Super Liga and in with a chance of qualifying for the Champions League.
TSC are already said to have rejected a £3m bid by The Athletic but Rangers should have made more effort to land one of Europe’s most promising youngsters in Petar Ratkov with Sport Klub claiming that RB Salzburg have stepped up their interest.
“The work is in the final stage and by the end of the week, most likely, it will be made official.
“In the last few days, the pressure from the Austrian side has increased and in Bačka Topola the belief has matured that the transfer of Petr Ratkov to Salzburg would be beneficial in many ways.
“Although the Bundesliga champion is not as powerful as the other, partly interested, clubs from England, the other parameters favor the final decision and move to the Red Bull group.”
Why Rangers should have rolled out red carpet for Petar Ratkov
The transfer market has changed since the Covid-19 pandemic.
Initially, there was a downturn but now, clubs are charging higher fees than ever.
Champions League and TV money from the top five leagues is being seen as a reason to put prices up.
Rangers could probably have picked Petar Ratkov up for less than they paid for Cedric Itten but that’s not the case anymore.
The 14-goal striker is following in the footsteps of the best in the world in Erling Haaland.
The big Norwegian moved to Austria as a promising youngster who had shown promise in his homeland before rampaging through the Bundesliga like his Viking ancestors reaping havoc across Europe.
A short spell at Salzburg saw Haaland move to Borussia Dortmund and the rest, is history.
Similar in style and stature, it is early days for Ratkov but if anyone gets him for under £5m they have secured themselves a bargain and a worth investment.
Salzburg paid £7m for Haaland and it was money well spent as they saw their investment treble in value in just six-months.
This is the type of educated gamble that Rangers need to be able to take moving forwards, let’s just hope it isn’t one we might live to regret not rolling the dice on.
