Ibrox View: Rangers set to be absolutely miles behind Celtic after £26m transfer news today

Rangers look set to be left behind by Celtic once again with Matt O’Riley set to be sold for £26million to Brighton.

This has been reported by BBC journalist Kheredine Idessane on 20 August who said an agreement could be reached in the next 24-48 hours.

A deal for the Danish midfielder would break the Hoops’ club record sale when Kieran Tierney joined Arsenal for £25m.

This is yet another indication of how far ahead of the Gers’ Old Firm rivals are given that Kalvin Bassey remains the record departure from Ibrox.

The Nigeria international joined Ajax in a deal worth under £23m [Sky Sports] which is the Light Blues’ only ever sale over £20m.

A deal for O’Riley would become Celtic’s fourth sale over this benchmark, showcasing the effectiveness of their transfer model.

Rangers fall further behind Celtic after Matt O’Riley update

This will be just yet another blow to Rangers who have been riding their main rivals’ coattails for many years.

The financial gulf between the two was made bigger when Philippe Clement’s side dropped out of the Champions League against Dynamo Kyiv.

This has been influenced even further as this club record sale now looks set to be completed.

Looking at the Rangers squad, who do they have who they could sell for anything near £26m?

That question has a simple answer. No.

Jack Butland is a top-class goalkeeper but at 31-years-old isn’t going to command a height fee.

Some of the Gers’ best technical players are Todd Cantwell and Ianis Hagi and there doesn’t appear to be a single suitor for either player so they don’t carry much value.

This could go on but it all goes to show just where Rangers are in comparison to their biggest rivals.

John Bennett, Clement and Co. need to go back to the drawing board and assess their transfer strategy to do better and close the gap to Celtic.

In other Rangers news, Ally McCoist makes Jamie Vardy admission after Leicester City PL return.

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