Fabrizio Romano confirms Rangers 'actively' working on identifying Todd Cantwell transfer replacement
Cantwell has indicated to the Gers boss that he wants to leave after 18 months at Ibrox.
Fabrizio Romano has confirmed Rangers are wasting no time in seeking a replacement for transfer-listed Todd Cantwell after the Ibrox playmaker had a request to leave the club granted last week.
Gers boss Philippe Clement was rocked after learning the former Norwich City man wants to leave the club to seek a few challenge elsewhere this summer - just 18 months after arriving in Glasgow. A return to Carrow Road has been rumoured on social media, while Cardiff City were believed to retain in interest in the 26-year-old Englishman, who has been banished to train with the club’s B-team until a solution is found on his future.
Now, according to one of football’s most reliably informed transfer specialists, the Light Blues are “actively” scouring the market for potential replacement with interest in several unnamed players mooted. Clement had initially told the media that Cantwell was nursing a slightly injury during pre-season before it emerged that he sees his future away from Rangers.
However, that hasn’t stopped the Belgian manager from leaving the door open for Cantwell to perform a shock U-turn by returning to the first-team fold should he change his mind about moving on before the window closes at the end of August.
He told Sky Sports on Monday afternoon: “I kept the door all the time open all these weeks. It is already a while ago that he came the first time with that. As long as a player is here and we believe in his qualities the door is always open. But, of course, we need to focus now on the guys who are totally with their minds in the club to get results in the next couple of weeks. We will see what happens.”
GlasgowWorld understands that Rangers chiefs will look to sell the Englishman if their asking price is met. It’s thought the club will want to earn back as much money as they can on the player as soon as possible and look to reinvest that sum on new recruits to join Jefte, Clinton Nsiala, Oscar Cortes, Connor Barron, Liam Kelly, Hamza Igamane and Vaclav Cerny in arriving at Auchenhowie.
Rangers 'will be active' in transfer market
Cantwell notched eight goals and seven assists in 44 appearances for Rangers last season. Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, Romano acknowledged that no deals are "imminent" but he was adamant the Glasgow giants will be active in finding him a new destination for Cantwell.
“Yeah for sure [Rangers needing to find a replacement for Cantwell], and it's not something really imminent at this point, so we have to wait for names. But for sure, the interest in several players is being stacked up because now they need to find a player in that position. But for sure, they will be active in that position, I'm sure.” One potential name that has been touted to replace Cantwell is Manchester United youngster Hannibal Mejbri, with the Gers in "advanced talks" about a loan deal. Rangers are in a difficult financial predicament, with the club having to sell players to free up sufficient funds for any future purchases. Given Cantwell’s situation, Rangers will need to secure a buyer before completing a move for his replacement.