Rangers close in on Zungu
● Ibrox club in bid to sign Amiens’ South Africa international midfielder for £3.8m
Rangers are closing in on the signing of South African international Bongani Zungu.
Steven Gerrard is known to be chasing a new signing to boost his midfield, and the net appears to be closing around Zungu after the Ibrox club opened negotiations with French side Amiens.
Zungu, 27, has been steadily making his way in Europe over the past few years, leaving African giants Mamelodi Sundowns
for Vitoria de Guimaraes in Portugal, before finding his way to Amiens.
Now, after a move to Realmallorca fell through, it’s looking likely that Gerrard will add him to his squad ahead of the new season. The Scotsman understands that, while talks are still ongoing between the two clubs, Rangers are close to striking a deal with Amiens.
The recently-relegated side are willing to let him leave for around €4 million (approximately £3.8m) after he entered into the last year of his contract in the north of France, which is a fee Rangers are prepared to meet. It is thought that a long-term deal is on the table should the two teams come to an agreement, with the Bafana Bafana international eager to make the switch to Scotland and play Europa League football under Ibrox manager Gerrard next season.
His agent, Alexis Ramalingam, confirmed that he was in talks with a number of clubs about a move, and Rangers have jumped to the front of the queue. “There’s a big possibility that he leaves France this summer but we can’t comment about any clubs for now in order to respect the clubs we are in talks with,” he said. “There’s interest in Ligue 1 and in other parts of Europe but I just can’t reveal where for now.”
Zungu got two goals in last year’s African Cup of Nations while playing for Stuart Baxter’s South African side, and has played around 60 games in France since 2017.
Gerrard has already added to his squad this summer with the signings of Ianis Hagi, Calvin Bassey and goalkeeper Jon Mclaughlin.
Celtic striker Patryk Klimala hopes to reap the benefits of bulking up during lockdown.
The Scottish champions return to action this evening with a match against Nice in the Veolia Trophy pre-season tournament in France.
Klimala, right, struggled to break into the Celtic team last season following his January move from Jagiellonia Bialystok in his Polish homeland. He started once and appeared three times as a substitute before the season was brought to a premature end. Now the 21-year-old is hoping he can compete better physically.
“I actually feel better than I did before lockdown,” Klimala told Celtic TV. “I worked hard during quarantine and so hopefully I am ready. Now, we’re in Lyon and we have our first friendly game. We’ll see how it goes.
“It was a simple decision for me to go to the gym during lockdown. When I was on the pitch with, say, Chris Jullien, it was really hard. I didn’t have any chance – that’s why I wanted to bulk up and I think that it’s better for me. I feel better and hopefully the guys think the same.”