Rangers must blow Celtic out of the water to sign the next Dembele
COMMENT By Richard Parks
Rangers must blow Celtic out of the water to sign Real Zaragoza centre-forward Borja Iglesias this summer.
The striker, 25, is in the form of his life after ripping up the Spanish second division this season with 16 goals in 31 matches.
Iglesias has scored all types of goals against all types of opposition and it has prompted a stampede of interest in his services ahead of the summer window.
Spanish publication El Periodico de Aragon claim that Celtic are firmly in the race to sign the front man, along with Premier League Swansea and Championship outfit Brentford.
Rangers should join the queue for Iglesias and make a concerted bid to sign him as they look to assemble a squad that can compete with Celtic for the title next season.
Just like Dembele when he was at Fulham two years ago, Iglesias is ripping up the second tier, a division which is roughly equivalent to the Scottish Premiership and perhaps even a slightly higher standard.
There are also similarities between the two centre-forwards in the Spaniard's contract situation.
He is on loan at Real Zaragoza from La Liga club Celtic Vigo but talks over an extension to his deal, which expires in the summer of 2019, have stalled.
Iglesias could be snapped up for a bargain fee this summer, just like Dembele was in 2016, when Celtic took advantage of cross-border rules to land him for a £300,000 compensation fee when his Fulham contract has expired.
Rangers won't have huge amounts of cash to play around with this summer, but will certainly be looking to reinforce a squad that has fallen short in the title race once again.
A new striker will be top of their shopping list, irrespective of whether Jason Cummings' loan is converted into a permanent deal.
The Light Blues need a 30-goal-a-season man to provide a formidable cutting edge. Iglesias could be that man.
In other Rangers news, the club have been given a huge quadruple boost ahead of their SPL showdown against Celtic.