RANGERS could be ready to battle it out with Celtic for the signing of West Ham winger Grady Diangana, according to sources close to the player.
Diangana, who is currently on loan at English Championship side West Bromwich Albion and played in last night’s goalless draw with Fulham, was reported to be on Celtic manager Neil Lennon’s radar earlier this week.
Herald Sport understands though that while the Scottish champions have made initial enquiries about the potential availability of the 22-year-old, Rangers have also made contact with his representatives with a view to luring the player north of the border.
In fact, Rangers are believed to have come close to landing Diangana last summer before they moved on to other targets, and the player instead made the move to The Hawthorns.
Diangana’s future is unlikely to be resolved before the end of the English season, with parent club West Ham fighting for their survival near the bottom of the English Premier League.
The player’s preference is to stay at the club, but his priority for next season is to continue playing regular first-team football, and if that is unlikely to be the case at the London Stadium he would be willing to look at another loan move or even a permanent transfer.
West Brom are keen to bring Diangana back to the club next season after a successful spell there this term, and their chances of doing so may be boosted if they can secure promotion to the English Premier League, with the player not sold on the value of another season in the Championship. The Baggies currently sit in second place, in the last automatic promotion position.
Clubs elsewhere on the continent have also made enquiries for the player, but Diangana himself is believed to be open to the idea of playing in Glasgow, with the promise of playing in European competition a major lure as he seeks to test himself at the highest level possible.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel