With Philippe Clement's first summer transfer window in charge of Rangers fast approaching, the Gers are reportedly set to hold imminent talks over sealing the Belgian's first arrival of the new season.
Rangers transfer news
Whilst it may not end with the Scottish Premiership title, Clement's first seven months in charge at Ibrox should be seen as a success. The former AS Monaco boss turned things around for Rangers, who seemed down and out in the title race after Michael Beale's tenure hit an inescapable rough patch, leading to his dismissal. Now under Clement, however, the Gers sit three points adrift of Old Firm rivals Celtic to set up a dramatic end to the campaign in Scotland.
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With or without the title though, change is afoot at Ibrox. As things stand, the likes of John Lundstram, Leon Balogun, Kemar Roofe and Borna Barisic among others are all set to depart as free agents upon the expiry of their current deals at the end of the season. Leaving plenty of room for reinforcements, Clement is set to make his mark.
And those reinforcements could be some familiar faces. According to French outlet Canal, Rangers are set to hold imminent talks with Lens over signing Oscar Cortes in a permanent deal this summer, and "everything indicates" the interest is serious. The winger has been on loan in Scotland this season, but saw that spell disrupted due to an untimely injury not long after he first completed a move.
Impressed nonetheless, Clement confirmed the talks to turn the move permanent, saying via Rangers News: "We are talking with Lens about what the situation is because in this situation it is a different situation from when he was fit. At the moment he was fit he was showing the right things, but it was really short term. Then it needs to be at the right price.”
Cortes and Sima deals could make Clement's summer
Clement was impressed enough with Cortes during his first six games to want a permanent arrival, and that highlights how much the Gers need to see the winger reach his best form throughout an entire campaign. The Gers were forced to settle for a far smaller sample size in the current campaign due to Cortes' injury and now they must look to hand him a second chance when back fit and firing.
If they can also secure a permanent deal to sign Abdallah Sima from Brighton & Hove Albion, then they will have two wingers who are capable of forming a deadly partnership. On paper, getting both Cortes and Sima in the same side may seem difficult, but the fact that the former can play on the left-hand side and the latter can play right across the frontline suggests that utilising both is certainly possible.
Forming such a partnership going forward would go a long way in bridging any remaining gap on Celtic and potentially see Clement win the ultimate prize in Scotland in his first full season in charge. Cortes, still just 20 years old, is certainly one to watch.
