Glasgow Rangers could need to sign a new centre-forward to bolster their squad before the summer transfer window slams shut at the start of September.
Russell Martin currently has Danilo, Hamza Igamane, and Cyriel Dessers at his disposal at Ibrox, but it remains to be seen if all three of them will still be at the club when the window closes.
After the 2-2 draw at Ibrox on Sunday, the Rangers head coach officially confirmed that the club have rejected an offer that was way below their valuation for Dessers, which shows that there is concrete interest in the attacker.
Meanwhile, Lille have reportedly been in talks over a potential deal to bring Igamane, who scored 16 goals last season, to Ligue 1 this summer.
This means that Rangers may lose two of their three centre-forward options during the window, which may be why they have been linked with an interest in veteran forward Jamie Vardy.
Why a move for Jamie Vardy could make sense
It was recently reported that the Scottish giants are the ‘frontrunners’ to secure a deal for the free agent number nine after Genoa dropped out of the race for his signature.
Vardy ended his long-term association with Leicester City this year after a return of 200 goals in 500 matches for the Foxes, helping them to win a Premier League title and an FA Cup.
He turned 38 in January, which means that the forward is in the latter stages of his career, but the former England international still has the capability to make a big impact in front of goal at the top level.
Vardy ended the 2024/25 campaign with nine goals in 35 Premier League starts for Leicester, despite their relegation from the division, which came after the attacker had managed 20 goals in 37 games in all competitions when they were in the Championship in the 2023/24 campaign.
Mo Salah
29
33
Chris Wood
20
33
Raul Jimenez
12
34
Danny Welbeck
10
34
Jamie Vardy
9
38
Tomas Soucek
9
30
Bruno Fernandes
9
30
Jacob Murphy
8
30
Leandro Trossard
8
30
Heung-min Son
7
33
As you can see in the table above, the English dynamo’s nine-goal haul in the Premier League last season was particularly impressive, when you see that he was the only player aged above 34 within the top ten scorers over the age of 30 in the division.
This shows that he is still at a very high level in front of goal, despite his age, which is why Vardy could make a lot of sense as a short-term addition for Rangers.
Striker considering move to Rangers this summer
However, the Scottish giants appear to have an opportunity to sign another experienced free agent centre-forward who could be an even better signing than the former Leicester man.
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According to journalist Sebastien Vidal, veteran Dutch striker Luuk De Jong is “considering” a potential transfer to Rangers after his exit from PSV.
The 34-year-old attacker became a free agent at the start of the month and is currently weighing up his options, with a switch to Scotland seemingly a realistic option for him.
Meanwhile, PSV boss Peter Bosz, when asked about interest from Rangers in the striker, revealed that he has spoken to De Jong about the possibility of him signing for Martin’s team.
It now remains to be seen whether or not the Light Blues can tempt him enough to make the move to Ibrox, as he is still ‘considering’ his options at this moment in time.
Why Rangers should sign De Jong over Vardy
If presented with the choice, Rangers should decide to sign De Jong instead of Vardy because he could be an even better signing for the Scottish side this summer.
The former Netherlands international is four years younger than the ex-Leicester marksman, which means that he may have a few more years of service to offer on the pitch for the Gers, making him a potentially better medium-term addition to the side.
His goalscoring record in the past two seasons for PSV also suggests that the Dutch dynamo has the potential to deliver more than Vardy in front of goal for Rangers, if he can adapt to Scottish football and hit the ground running at Ibrox.
In the 2024/25 campaign, the 34-year-old striker plundered 18 goals and 12 assists in 47 matches in all competitions. That came after the veteran attacker produced a staggering haul of 38 goals and 18 assists in 48 appearances in the 2023/24 season for PSV.
This means that De Jong has scored 56 goals and assisted 30 for the Dutch giants in the past two seasons, whilst Vardy managed 30 goals and six assists in that time for Leicester.
These statistics suggest that the former Barcelona ace could offer way more to Rangers as both a scorer and a creator of goals than the Englishman, whilst also being four years younger, because, quite simply, he has scored and assisted significantly more goals.
Appearances
34
31
Goals
29
14
Minutes per goal
96
175
Big chances created
18
16
Key passes per game
2.0
1.8
Assists
15
8
As you can see in the table above, De Jong has consistently provided goals and assists over the past two years at league level, and has even been unfortunate not to have more assists to his name.
He is an experienced and lethal marksman who can find the back of the net on a regular basis whilst also creating high-quality chances for his teammates week-in-week-out, which could make him a fantastic all-round centre-forward option for Martin.
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Whilst, at 34, De Jong may not represent the future for the Ibrox giants, the Dutch striker could make a big short-term impact as the Gers look to wrestle back control of the Scottish Premiership next season.
