An update has emerged on Glasgow Rangers and Michael Beale's attempts to bolster his squad during the January transfer window...

What's the talk?

According to the Daily Record, the Light Blues are keen on a deal to sign Standard Liege central midfielder Nicolas Raskin before the end of the month.

The report claims that the Gers are interested in snapping up the Belgian talent and that they are also ramping up their efforts to sign Todd Cantwell and Morgan Whittaker from Norwich and Swansea respectively.

Belgian journalist Sacha Tavolieri recently claimed that the club were in talks over a swoop to sign Raskin, who is out of contract at the end of the season,

Steven Davis replacement

At the end of December, Rangers central midfielder Steven Davis was ruled out of action for the rest of the season after suffering a knee injury but Beale could finally replace the Northern Ireland international, almost a month later, by signing the Standard Liege maestro.

Raskin's form in the Pro League this season indicates that the gem could be an excellent addition to the Gers squad as he has been superb for Liege.

The 21-year-old has averaged a Sofascore rating of 7.01 across 16 appearances in the Belgian top-flight this term, which is an improvement on the score of 6.85 he managed in the previous campaign.

That rating would place him eighth in the current Rangers squad and 0.11 better off than Davis' score of 6.90 in the Premiership in 2022/23 for the Light Blues.

Raskin, who was once described as "powerful" and a "pitbull" by journalist Bob Faesen, has made 3.7 tackles and interceptions and 1.1 key passes per match in the Pro League this term, something that indicates he is an excellent box-to-box midfielder who can make an impact at both ends of the pitch.

Meanwhile, no Gers player has made more than 2.9 tackles and interceptions per game and John Lundstram's 2.3 per outing is the most by any midfielder, which suggests that the Belgian gem could be an upgrade on Beale's current options in the middle of the park from a defensive perspective.

At the age of 21, Raskin would also arrive as a player with the potential to grow and improve over time. This means that the maestro could be a long-term addition to the side, someone Beale can work with over the course of a number of years, which is another reason he could be a dream replacement for the injured Davis, who turned 38 this month.