An update has emerged on Glasgow Rangers and their plans to bolster their defensive options in the upcoming summer transfer window...

What's the latest on Jonathan Panzo to Rangers?

According to the Daily Record, the Gers have considered a potential swoop to sign Nottingham Forest central defender Jonathan Panzo as Michael Beale looks to improve his side ahead of next season.

The report claims that the club have looked at the Englishman as well as Arsenal enforcer Auston Trusty, who is currently on loan at Birmingham City in the Championship, but they could be priced out of a move for the latter.

It remains to be seen how much Forest would demand for their asset, though, having signed him for £1.5m from Dijon in January of last year.

What is Jonathan Panzo's style of play?

The 22-year-old is a versatile defender who is capable of being deployed as a centre-back and a left-back. He has also featured as part of a back three during his spell on loan at Coventry in the Championship this term.

Panzo, who was once hailed as an "exciting" talent by Forest boss Steve Cooper, was described by Herald Scotland as being 'renowned for his athletic ability to cover ground at the back' and this is an attribute that Rangers would benefit from adding to their squad.

Beale recently bemoaned his side's loss of Calvin Bassey last summer due to the physical quality the Nigerian international provided. He said:

“We lost key players in my opinion, key athleticism in (Joe) Aribo, (Calvin) Bassey and (Nathan) Patterson. For good money, but we lost key players."

This suggests that the Light Blues head coach is wanting to add more talented athletes to his team to offset the sales the club made in 2022 and Panzo fits the bill, whilst also being the ideal replacement for the former Leicester City man.

Now starring for Ajax, the 6 foot 1 titan made 50 senior appearances for the Gers in 2021/22 and played over 20 matches as a left-back and as a centre-back in that time.

Bassey averaged a Sofascore rating of 6.97 across 29 appearances in the Scottish Premiership and won 63% of his individual battles, which shows that the youngster displayed strength in defence as he won the majority of his duels.

Panzo could offer a similar level of physical prowess and quality based on his performances on loan at Coventry City, where the 22-year-old has averaged a Sofascore rating of 6.99 across 29 outings and has won 58% of his duels per game in the English second-tier.

He also ranks similarly to the Ajax tank by being among the top 18% of centre-backs in FBref's next eight leagues for progressive carries and progressive passes per 90 over the last 365 days, which means that they both excel at driving the ball forward from defence to start attacks.

These statistics show that the £9.2k-per-week titan is similar in style and quality to Bassey as both players are dominant, athletic, left-footed, defenders who can play in multiple positions and this means that Beale could well finally replace the Nigerian gem by signing Panzo this summer.