Rangers turn attention to late Tawanda Maswanhise swoop after 'massive blow'

Rangers are plotting a late move to sign Motherwell striker Tawanda Maswanhise in the closing stages of the summer transfer window.

The 23-year-old impressed Rangers scouts with his performances in the Scottish Premiership last season, but their interest was believed to have cooled earlier this summer.

However, Derek McInnes could reignite that interest in the coming weeks, with Rangers now looking to add another striker to their squad before the window closes.

Former Man United chief scout Mick Brown told Football Insider that Rangers are strong admirers of Maswanhise and his experience in the SPFL is seen as a major asset.

This comes after Rangers were dealt a huge blow when Yousseff Chermiti suffered a cruciate ligament injury during their 2-1 defeat against Hibernian on 9 August.

Rangers had not planned to sign a striker before that blow, but could now revisit their move for Maswanhise, with McInnes determined not to see his squad weakened.

Could Rangers make a move for Tawanda Maswanhise?

Football Insider revealed in May that Rangers are prepared to battle their rivals in their pursuit of Maswanhise, while Motherwell have been bracing to receive offers.

After his performances last season, where he scored 17 goals in 35 league appearances and was crowned the Golden Boot winner, he has still got some strong admirers.

Rangers could now finally step up their interest, with Chermiti's injury likely to force them into the market and Maswanhise having been towards the top of their list of striker targets.

"That injury to Chermiti has come as a massive blow for Rangers," Brown told Football Insider.

"He was set to be their starting striker for the season, but after an injury like that, they're going to have to look at bringing somebody else in to replace him.

"I always say it's difficult for Rangers to bring in top-class players, because there aren't a lot of places they can go to get deals done.

"One thing they do have to focus on is singing the best talent from Scotland, so when you mention Maswanhise, that is going to be the type of deal they are looking at.

"He's got a proven track record in Scotland and they know all about him, so it would make a lot of sense if they did make a move for him now."

Why did Yousseff Chermiti's injury come as such a big blow?

Losing Chermiti to a serious injury is a blow for Rangers in a number of ways, as McInnes continues to put plans in place after a slow start to the new season.

The striker is now likely to miss up to nine months, despite having been eyed as a key part of the starting XI, but the blow also came at a significant financial cost.

Former Man City financial adviser Stefan Borson told Football Insider on 14 August that Rangers have been handed a "disastrous" blow after they turned down a huge offer for Chermiti.

Given his importance to the team, Rangers opted to turn down an offer of £22million for the striker as they preferred to keep him as a key part of their plans.

However, following his significant injury blow, they are set to miss out on the money as well as the player, in what has proven to be a rather cruel development.