Rangers could see £4.3m bid accepted to sign “crazy” star

Glasgow Rangers made their first signing of the summer transfer at the end of last month when they confirmed the arrival of Lawrence Shankland on a permanent deal.

The Scotland international joined from Hearts after he led them to a second place finish in the Scottish Premiership with 16 goals in the 2025/26 campaign, just falling short of winning the title on the final day.

He will now be hoping to go one better at Ibrox by using his goalscoring quality and knowledge of the division to lead Danny Rohl’s side to the title next season.

Shankland may not be the only Premiership star to make his way to Glasgow this summer, though, as the Gers are reportedly leading the race to sign Dundee defender Luke Graham.

The left-footed centre-back is one of the players on the club’s radar as they search for a replacement for Nasser Djiga after his loan from Wolverhampton Wanderers came to an end.

Rangers told to pay £4.3m to sign central defender

Graham wants to play in the Premier League, according to his own manager, and it remains to be seen whether or not the Gers can get a deal over the line for him in the coming weeks.

Whilst the Light Blues are still looking into a move for the Scotland U21 internationa, the Scottish giants are also keen on another defender who would be an even better signing than Graham.

According to journalist Ben Jacobs, Glasgow Rangers are one of a number of teams interested in a deal to sign ZTE central defender Akpe Victory in the summer transfer window.

The reporter claims that the Hungarian side are willing to accept offers of around £4.3m for the 19-year-old talent, which means that the Gers will have to splash out a decent transfer fee to see a bid accepted for him.

Jacobs adds that Swiss giants Basel have already seen two offers turned down by ZTE, whilst Rangers and Benfica are also in the mix to land the Nigerian defender.

The journalist also reveals that teams from Spain, France, Germany, and Italy have made approaches about a potential deal for the teenager, and the Light Blues may have to move swiftly to avoid losing the race for his signature.

Why Akpe Victory would be a better Rangers signing than Luke Graham

Graham is a Premiership proven defender who has shown that he can handle the physicality of the division, which is why he is such an attractive target and could be a fantastic signing for Rangers.

However, it is hard to predict whether or not he will suit playing for a dominant side because Rangers defenders are expected to be composed and almost faultless in possession, whilst he only completed 80% of his passes this season for Dundee.

Graham lost possession 11.5 times per game on average in the Premiership, more than any Gers centre-back, and may not be comfortable on the ball in a possession-heavy side.

Victory’s performances for ZTE in the 2025/26 Fizz Liga campaign, though, suggest that he would slot straight into Rohl’s side as a ball-playing central defender who can start attacks for his team.

In fact, he had a higher chipped pass accuracy than every single Rangers centre-back, at 93%, which speaks to his ability to comfortably bypass an opposition’s press to find his teammates with chipped passes.

Victory was also dribbled past (0.4) less frequently per game than Graham (0.5) at league level this season, suggesting that opposition forwards find it harder to get the better of him in one-on-one situations.

The teenage star, who was described as having “crazy potential” by Bence Bocsak, also won 58% of his ground duels and 64% of his aerial duels in the Fizz Liga, showing that he can be a dominant defender out of possession on top of being a quality ball-player.

Therefore, the £4.3m-rated youngster would be an even better signing than Graham because he has similar strengths out of possession, whilst being considerably better with the ball at his feet, which is perfect for what the Gers need as a title-chasing team.