A major Rangers claim has emerged over Joe Aribo and his future at Ibrox beyond the summer transfer window...
What's the talk?
Gers reporter Jonny McFarlane has revealed that the club are on the verge of finalising a deal to sell the exciting forward this week.
Premier League side Southampton are in talks with the Light Blues and the journalist has stated that they are not far away from securing their target.
He Tweeted: "Joe Aribo’s exit from Rangers looming. The clubs are close to agreeing a £10m package plus a significant sell-on. For a £300k signing with a year left on his contract this surely represents a really solid piece of business.
The Athletic's Jordan Campbell has backed up the claim, Tweeting: "Exclusive story from last night on Southampton being in advanced talks to sign Rangers’ Joe Aribo. The release clause in his contract is £10m. No previous bids for him. Saints negotiating guaranteed fee but RFC say overall package must hit that number."
Gio van Bronckhorst will be fuming
This update will surely leave the Ibrox head coach fuming as losing Aribo will be a major blow to his squad heading into the 2022/23 campaign.
The midfielder played a crucial role for the Dutch boss last term and proved that he is a reliable, quality, option to call upon domestically and in Europe.
In the Europa League, he played 15 matches and averaged a SofaScore rating of 6.97 as he made 2.1 tackles and interceptions per game, whilst also chipping in with one goal and three assists.
Meanwhile, Aribo's Premiership form was outstanding as he averaged a score of 7.07 across 34 games - scoring eight and assisting five. The gem also made 2.0 tackles and interceptions and won 6.4 duels per match, showing that he stood up to the physicality of the division whilst also making a big impact in the final third.
These statistics illustrate the gem's importance to Rangers in more ways than one. Along with his evident quality on the pitch and his consistency in his displays, his availability to play 49 games in the Scottish top-flight and the Europa League combined is a considerable strength.
He was rarely injured or otherwise unavailable and that meant that van Bronckhorst was able to rely on him throughout the campaign. Rangers will now have to replace him with a player capable of making a similar impact on the pitch whilst also having the same physical durability and it remains to be seen how difficult that will be.
For now, van Bronckhorst will be fuming with Aribo's prospective exit and the impact it will have on his side next season...