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Rangers are set to return with a third bid for Oldham Athletic defender George Edmundson, as reported by The Scottish Sun.

What's the story?

The paper reckon that bids of £400,000 and £500,000 lodged by the Ibrox outfit have been rejected over the last week, but the Gers are determined to get their man and will return with an improved offer.

The report states the English League Two outfit are eager to spark a bidding war for the centre-back, with clubs such as Wigan, Stoke and Derby all said to be interested.

Rangers are confident of completing a deal, but Edmundson's side are holding out for a fee of around £1m according to the paper, meaning the recruitment team at Ibrox may have to double their best offer so far.

Gerrard wants players with something to prove

Edmundson is clearly a player that manager Steven Gerrard is a fan of or the Gers wouldn't be so persistent trying to bring him to Glasgow.

Still just 21 years of age, if he does arrive at Ibrox it would mean that two of the three centre-backs at Rangers are of a young age, with Nikola Katic still only 22 himself.

The Oldham man reportedly handed in a transfer request to escape League Two so clearly has big ambitions to play at a higher level and having that kind of desire is something Gerrard will need if his team are to push for major honours.

Young and hungry is the way to go

Other young players like Jake Hastie and Glen Kamara have also committed their futures to the club recently and although Gerrard has peppered experience throughout the team with players such as Jermain Defoe and Steven Davis, it's clear he wants to build and develop his own players as a priority.

That will only benefit Rangers further down the line - first by creating a team that has grown and improved together, but also by ensuring the club can cash in on talents at their peak value.

It's a strategy that has paid off massively for Celtic in recent years and by emulating it the Gers can start to close the gap on their Glasgow rivals.