A big Rangers claim has emerged on Giovanni van Bronckhorst's chances of bringing a talented midfielder to Ibrox in the summer transfer window...
What's the talk?
Gers podcaster David Edgar has poured cold water over the chances of an Ibrox academy graduate making his way back to Rangers for the 2022/23 campaign.
Scotland international, Billy Gilmour, is reportedly a player the Light Blues are tracking this year but the reporter, who claims to have insider ties with the player's family, does not believe that a move is on the cards.
Speaking on the Heart & Hand Daily Update [24/05/22] on Patreon about Gilmour, Edgar said:
“Well I can tell you that it’s not something like you may have seen on social media, things saying ‘done deal’, there’s absolutely no truth in that. I know his family quite closely down here in Ayrshire, and trust me, they’d be keen to tell us if that was the case.
“He’ll return to Chelsea after his loan with Norwich City and if Thomas Tuchel can’t offer him more game time the likelihood is he will head out permanently.
“He doesn’t really want to do another loan if he’s got no chance of making it at Chelsea. I think the fee would be prohibitive for Rangers if we were going to go in for him and that’s over and above whether the player wanted to come back to Scotland or wanted to stay in the EPL where he does have offers.”
Supporters will be deflated
This claim from Edgar will leave the supporters deflated as this update all but rules out the possibility of Gilmour arriving at Ibrox this summer.
It appears as though the gem will either remain at Chelsea to battle for his place or secure a permanent exit, leaving the Gers in no position to chase a loan.
This is a huge shame for the Light Blues as the 20-year-old would be an excellent, exciting, addition to van Bronckhorst's team. He endured a rough season on loan at Norwich as they were relegated from the Premier League but showed glimpses of quality as he averaged a solid SofaScore rating of 6.82.
Gilmour made 2.4 tackles and interceptions per game as he got stuck in defensively and created one key pass per match as he showcased his technical ability in the final third. Although, he did struggle with the physicality of the English top-flight at times as he lost 53% of his duels in the middle of the park.
For Scotland, the gem averaged an excellent score of 7.13 in seven World Cup qualifiers as he made 2.3 tackles and interceptions and provided 1.1 chances per game for his country.
He is not expected to be the finished article at the age of 20 and he is still developing as a player, which is why he would have been an exciting signing. The Gers fans may have enjoyed watching him progress whilst playing under van Bronckhorst, given his ties to the club, and that - along with his quality - is why they will be deflated by this latest claim.