Rangers have been linked with a summer move for Middlesbrough Djed Spence recently and if he were to join Steven Gerrard's side ahead of next season it could be a repeat of the deal that saw James Tavernier make the move to Ibrox in 2015.

According to ESPN, Rangers are taking an interest in the young right-back ahead of the summer transfer window, with Everton and Wolves also reportedly keen.

Although he is relatively inexperienced, having made just 65 appearances in his Middlesbrough career thus far, the former Fulham youngster is clearly well thought of at the Teesside club and wouldn't be a regular at a Championship club if he didn't have a lot of talent.

The 20-year-old defender received a lot of praise from Boro boss Neil Warnock recently, and given his vast experience in the game, Ross Wilson would do well to take what he says seriously and try and bring Spence to Ibrox this summer.

The manager said last year that:

“If you look at one or two of the full-backs that are around now - the lad at Liverpool, Trent Alexander-Arnold, and the lad at Manchester United from Palace (Aaron Wan-Bissaka) - they are all the same type as Djed.

“He does have enormous ability, and when you’ve got ability like that it’s criminal if you don’t get to the very top. But as I said to him in that first couple of weeks, he’ll only have himself to blame if he doesn’t get to the very top.

“He has quite a few things to brush up on at the minute, and I’m sure he will try. He’s a very good trainer and works hard.”

Spence has continued to be a regular with Middlesbrough this season, making 37 appearances in total in England's second tier.

If he were to join Rangers this summer, there would be a lot of similarities to the deal that saw Tavernier join from Wigan Athletic six years ago.

After all, Tavernier failed to make the grade at a Premier League club, Newcastle United, and made his name in the lower leagues, enjoying spells with Wigan, Bristol City and Rotherham United.

Although he showed brief glimpses of his attacking potential, notably in the 2013/14 season where he managed five goals and five assists for Rotherham, it was only when he arrived at Rangers when his attacking play reached a new level.

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Certainly, Spence looks to have a bright future in the game, and there's no reason why he couldn't go on to become a player of Tavernier's quality should he join Gerrard's side this summer.

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