Rangers ‘win race’ for wonderkid as £9m Brazilian midfielder ‘rejects’ Celtic move

Rangers are looking to bolster their ranks with the signing of Zak Lovelace, according to reports.

The 16-year-old is currently on the books at EFL Championship side Millwall, but is set to swap London for Glasgow, according to Frazer Fletcher.

Fletcher claims that Lovelace has told the Lions he wants to join Rangers this summer, with the forward able to join Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s side on July 1, once his registration with Millwall comes to an end.

He adds that Lovelace, who made his debut for the Lions at the age of 15 last season, had a ‘host of clubs chasing his signature’.

Lions manager Gary Rowett recently spoke about Lovelace’s situation at the Den, expressing he wanted to keep the young forward at the club.

He said: “The club have made it clear that we would love Zak to be part of what we do next year and on a full-time basis. That’s our aim.

“There is an inevitability, unfortunately, that some of your better young players get poached by other clubs. To a certain degree those fees are a little bit out of your hands.

“Zak is one of those, a lad who has had a bit of interest. He’ll be getting different advice and all we can do is show how much we want him here and then see what happens.

“I don’t think he has got to make a decision now. I think someone would have to be interested and essentially pay compensation for him.”

Elsewhere in Glasgow, Vinicius Souza has rejected a move to Celtic, as per Yeni Safak.

The Turkish Outlet claims that the Brazilian’s club, Lommel, ‘did not like’ the Hoops’ offer for him.

They add that Celtic face competition for the defensive-midfielder’s services, with Fenerbahce making a £5m bid for him, as well as including a sell-on clause in the deal.

However, this is expected to be turned down, with Lommel looking for between £8-9m for the Brazilian.

Souza spent the last campaign on loan at Mechelen, netting two goals and registering one assist in 35 appearances in all competitions for the Belgian club.