Rangers have officially missed out on signing Rafael Santos Borre after Eintracht Frankfurt announced his signing, which is a blow for Steven Gerrard as he could've been a stellar addition to his squad at Ibrox.
The Bundesliga side announced his signing on a four-year deal from River Plate on a free transfer on Monday, which brings an end to Rangers' reported hopes of bringing him in.
Would he have improved Gerrard's squad?
Whilst Gerrard can boast a plethora of attacking talent in his squad for next season, the £15.3m-rated Santos Borre could have added some real Champions League quality ahead of Rangers' return to Europe's elite competition next season.
During his time at River Plate, the Colombia international would contribute an impressive 56 goals and 18 assists in 149 appearances, including eight goals in just 13 Copa de Liga appearances last season.
A player of Santos Borre's quality would surely have found the net regularly with Rangers when you consider that they managed 92 goals in just 38 league appearances last season, so it is a shame for Gerrard that he is moving to Germany this summer.
Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone praised Borre's development since his move to Argentina after struggling during his time in Spain, saying:
“The truth is that we have not talked about the issue of Borre. He is breaking it there in River, I am happy for him.
“He came very young (to Atletico) and the truth is that his growth has been tremendous – phenomenal.”
Could he have replaced Morelos?
Alfredo Morelos has been regularly linked with a move away from Ibrox in recent seasons, with Porto seemingly the main contenders to sign El Bufalo this summer.
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The 24-year-old has been superb for Rangers since joining the club from HJK Helsinki in 2017, contributing 94 goals and 43 assists in 194 appearances for the Teddy Bears in his four seasons at Ibrox.
He is also Rangers' record goalscorer in Europe, which suggests that if he were to leave ahead of the 21/22 campaign, a proven goalscorer would have to be signed as his replacement if Gerrard's side want to succeed in European competition.
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It is hard to ignore the similarities between Santos Borre and Morelos given that they are the same age and nationality, but if the Rangers star does depart this summer, Rangers will have to look elsewhere for a replacement for El Bufalo.
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