Rangers boss Danny Rohl has been holding talks with the Gers board over summer transfer planning amid a hotly-contested Scottish Premiership title race, and a Hearts target could be the very first to come in.
Rangers brace for another Old Firm against Celtic this weekend
Sunday’s Scottish Cup clash at Ibrox is the kind of fixture that defines seasons, and for Rangers, it arrives at a moment of genuine significance on and off the pitch.
Rohl’s side currently sit third in the Premiership, six points behind Hearts and one point behind Celtic following their rivals’ win over Aberdeen at Pittodrie.
The title race is tightening with every passing week, and a cup run offers another route to silverware and the sense of momentum this squad desperately needs.
Celtic, fresh from that late comeback at Ibrox in the league just last Sunday — Reo Hatate’s penalty in stoppage time snatching a 2-2 draw after Rangers had led 2-0 — will arrive with confidence coursing through them. The atmosphere inside the stadium will be electric.
For Rohl, Sunday is a chance to lay down a marker.
His side blew a two-goal lead against Celtic once already this month. They cannot afford a similar collapse in a knockout tie.
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With reports suggesting Rangers could move for Kilmarnock’s David Watson, the Ibrox side may need to tread carefully.
The German will demand a response, and the Old Firm Scottish Cup showdown will tell us plenty about what this Rangers team is genuinely made of.
But while the focus firmly rests on Sunday’s battle, the planning for the summer window is already well underway at Ibrox — and TEAMtalk have revealed some of the names on Rohl’s wish list.
The headline act is teenager Mikey Moore.
The Tottenham winger, currently on loan at Rangers, has lit up Scottish football with his pace, creativity and eye for goal. Rohl is said to be keen to bring Moore back for another season, with high-level discussions already taking place between the two clubs, as we exclusively revealed last week.
However, it is another name on Gers’ shopping list that stands out for different reasons entirely — Cameron Ashia of Huddersfield Town.
Cameron Ashia emerging as potential first Rangers summer signing
The 19-year-old is a versatile midfielder-attacker who has been turning heads in League One with his performances this season, and the comparisons being drawn with Man City’s Jeremy Doku are enough to make any supporter sit up and take notice.
Quick, direct and capable of playing across the attacking midfield positions, Ashia is the kind of dynamic young talent that could thrive under Rohl’s high-energy style.
What makes the prospect particularly compelling from Rangers’ perspective is the financial side of it.
Ashia’s contract at Huddersfield expires at the end of the current season, meaning he could arrive at Ibrox this summer without a transfer fee attached.
In a market where costs continue to spiral, landing a player of his potential on a free represents the kind of intelligent business that clubs at every level dream about.
TEAMtalk report that, due to his contract situation, Ashia is ’emerging as a potential first summer signing’ for Rangers.
This apparently follows Rohl’s talks with the Gers board over recent weeks as they continue looking ahead to next season.
The teenager is also on Hearts’ free transfer radar, according to The Mail recently, with a host of Championship clubs also in the running for his signature.
Alongside Ashia and Moore, Kilmarnock midfielder David Watson — 21 years old and one of the brightest young talents in Scottish football — is another target, though Rangers face stiff competition for his signature from Celtic, as well as clubs in England and Italy.
Hearts are keeping an eye on him as well.
The board, backed by the resources of 49ers Enterprises, have given Rohl assurances that significant investment is coming.
First, though, comes Sunday.
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