Exclusive: Rangers line up move to sign Leicester left-back

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06 Jun 2020, 10:15 am

Rangers are lining up a move to sign Leicester City sensation Calvin Bassey-Ughelumba and hope to seal a quickfire deal, Football Insider understands.

This site exclusively revealed earlier today that the left-back, 20, is set to quit the Premier League high flyers after rejecting a new contract.

Ibrox sources have told Football Insider that director of football Ross Wilson and manager Steven Gerrard have made the signing of Ughelumba a top priority.

It is a deal that is entirely logical as the youngster is hugely talented and will soon be a free agent.

Cross-border rules mean Rangers can sign Ughelumba for a fee of around £300,000.

Rival suitors for the young defender, who have included West Ham, would have to agree a compensation fee with Leicester for his development costs.

Rangers have targeted left-back cover after releasing Andy Halliday and Jon Flanagan last month.

The senior duo were let go when their contracts expired and Gerrard has made it clear he wants top-class competition for first choice Borna Barisic.

Ughelumba has knocked back a long-term Leicester deal as he looks to secure a move to a club where he can get his first taste of senior football.

The Foxes academy product was on the radar of West Ham in January and they made a move for him at the end of that window.

Ughelumba has come through the youth ranks at Leicester after joining the club in 2015 following a successful trial.

The 20-year-old, who can play at left-back as well as centre-back, has yet to make his first-team debut for Brendan Rodgers' side.

But has been a regular for Leicester's Under-18s and Under-23s side and featured for them in the UEFA Youth League.

In other Rangers news, Darren Bent has been blown away by "humongous news" coming out of Ibrox.

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