Rangers closing in on £3.5m Zungu deal
RANGERS are edging closer to a potential deal for South Africa midfielder Bongani Zungu. Reports in France yesterday claimed a £3.5million agreement with Amiens was already in place and that Zungu was set to sign a four-year contract. While that is thought to be premature, Rangers retain a firm interest in the 27-year-old and could accelerate discussions in the coming days. The Ibrox club are also understood to have taken preliminary steps towards a move for Bordeaux striker Josh Maja. The 21-year-old Nigeria frontman is among the names under consideration as a replacement for Alfredo Morelos should Lille meet Rangers’ asking price for their top scorer. Zungu has been on Steven Gerrard’s radar throughout this summer as options to strengthen the midfield area have been assessed. Capped 27 times by South Africa, he was an important player for his country as they reached the quarter-finals of last year’s Africa Cup of Nations. Zungu is capable of operating as a box-to-box midfielder or in a holding
role and is set to leave Amiens following their relegation from Ligue 1 last season. He had been lined up for a move to La Liga with Real Mallorca in January but the move collapsed at the last minute when Amiens decided to retain him. Zungu had previously played in Portugal with Vitoria Guimaraes after leaving Mamelodi Sundowns in his homeland. The future of Morelos will have an obvious influence on Rangers’ remaining transfer business, with Lille president Gerard Lopez confirming earlier this week that the club intended to continue their pursuit of the Colombian. Gerrard has added Ianis Hagi, Jermain Defoe, Jon McLaughlin, Calvin Bassey and Leon Balogun on permanent contracts this summer. Centre-back Balogun arrived last Friday, with Gerrard hopeful he can quickly adapt to Rangers’ style of play ahead of Saturday’s Premiership kick-off against Aberdeen. ‘It will take a few days for him to settle in and get used to the players,’ Gerrard told Rangers TV. ‘We also want to use this time to show him what we do tactically, in and out of possession. ‘But his profile suits how we want to play, because he’s quick, tall, lean — he’s in fantastic shape. And, from a technical point of view, we know he’s played at a level. ‘We’ve seen him at a level and judged him at that level. It gives us confidence he’s going to be a real good signing for us.’