Gerrard eyes powerplay with Roma star Sadiq

STEVEN GERRARD insists Umar Sadiq would add power and energy to Rangers’ strikeforce as he confirmed an interest in landing the 21-year-old. The Ibrox club are edging closer to an agreement to take the 6ft 3in Nigerian on a season-long loan from Roma. He scored five goals in 13 appearances when farmed out to Dutch side NAC Breda last term. Gerrard has already made seven summer signings, but feels Sadiq could fill an important gap in the squad if the deal gets over the line. ‘We’re a fan of Umar Sadiq,’ said the Rangers boss as his side continue their pre-season training camp in Spain. ‘There is nothing to report on that yet in terms of progress, but we do like the player. ‘We’ll have to see how that one materialises. He would bring us a forward option with his height, power and presence. He’s a player who actually works too hard, believe it or not. ‘He does tons of running and he’s very enthusiastic. He’s the type of player who offers just as much out of possession as he does in possession, which is important. ‘We have an interest but, at

the moment, he’s still a Roma player. It’s ongoing. We have to be respectful and see how it goes, but he’s someone we like.’ In addition to Sadiq (below), Gerrard is also thought to be considering a loan move for Manchester City winger Brandon Barker, who spent last season with Hibs. Liverpool attackers Dominic Solanke and Ben Woodburn could be further loan targets later in the window, but Gerrard is adamant the net is being cast wide to find the right additions. ‘Brandon Barker is speculation,’ added Gerrard. ‘There’s not enough room for all the wingers we’ve been linked with. (Ryan) Kent, (Harry) Wilson, Barker, (Jordan) Jones — I don’t know how I’d fit them all in. ‘I’m a fan of all the names and speculation, but that’s all it is just now. Dominic Solanke? Speculation. All I will say is that we need more options in the forward areas. ‘The priority initially was in the defensive areas. We needed bodies in the centre of defence and needed to give support in the full-back areas ‘We are close to being there defensively. When I took over, we were heavy in the midfield areas, so, unless we can get someone in who will be better than what’s here, then we’re not in a mad rush to add, certainly in the central area. ‘It’s a similar situation in the wide areas as it was in the full-backs where we’ve got two very strong options and a couple of young kids. ‘If the right person becomes available in the wide areas, then we’ll try and add. But we’ve not got one name that we’re chasing. ‘There’s a group of names we’re monitoring and in the forward areas. I’ve tried to go from back to front. That doesn’t mean I have to do a midfielder before a forward, but defence was definitely the priority.’ Gerrard did, however, rule out previous speculation about an ambitious move to land his ex-Liverpool team-mate Lucas Leiva from Lazio. ‘It is not possible,’ he said. ‘Lucas has just won Player of the Year for Lazio and I’m sure his wages are very, very high.’ Meanwhile, the Ibrox boss revealed that Graham Dorrans had had a positive report on his knee injury after leaving the training base near Malaga last week. ‘The sensible thing was for him to go back to the people that we trust (in the UK) and get it checked out,’ added Gerrard. ‘We are really happy with what we have discovered on the scan. It is good news. ‘He will join back up with the squad when we get home. The physio will assess him and he will have a plan to try and get fit and catch up and be a part of it. ‘There was a chance it could have been serious. But the scans were good, so we are delighted.’