Rangers dived into the lower echelons of English football to secure the signature of George Edmundson during the summer, and now they are being urged to pull off a similar deal for Carlisle's Jarrad Branthwaite.

What's the word?

A report from the Daily Record published in December 2019 suggested that multiple clubs were interested in signing Branthwaite from the League Two outfit.

Rangers, Celtic, Manchester City, Arsenal and Leicester City are all reportedly in the market for the 17-year-old talent, with manager Chris Beech expecting the growing speculation to lead to an offer.

According to the Daily Mail, Carlisle are expected to hold out for £800k.

And now the teenager's former manager, Steven Pressley, has talked up the enormity of his potential and urged the Gers to move swiftly to secure his signature, per Glasgow Times.

“Since leaving Carlisle I’ve had numerous phone calls about him from English Premier League and Championship clubs,” Pressley said.

“He is on the radar of so many clubs down south, so it’s no surprise to me that Celtic and Rangers would be looking at him too.

“I haven’t heard from either side of the Old Firm yet, but if you are asking me if I think they should act quickly to get him during this window, then I would say absolutely."

To emphasise his point, Pressley made a huge prediction about how high he can climb in the game.

“For me, he is a future England internationalist. No question about it. That’s how highly I rate him. He’ll go to the very top of the game.”

Potentially prophetic advice

It is perhaps too early to tip Branthwaite to establish himself as an England international but Pressley's words should resonate with the decision-makers at Ibrox.

After all, the fact some of England's top clubs are expressing an interest in the youngster can only suggest there is a strong basis to the 46-year-old's comments.

Branthwaite has already played seven times in League Two this season, helping his side to keep two clean sheets from those fixtures as the club bid to beat the drop.

Standing at 6ft 4 aged 17, the imposing centre-back could become a physical colossus at the heart of Rangers' defensive unit in the years to come.

And if Pressley's comments do indeed turn prophetic, there's little doubt Rangers will one day be in a position to command a healthy profit.

This is one to watch as the January window progresses.

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