The Rangers forward line is under the transfer microscope this summer after a disappointing season at Ibrox.
Rangers number nine Cyriel Dessers was forced to bear the brunt of the club’s goalscoring responsibilities in his debut season.
But with Brazilian striker Danilo returning from injury, and Moroccan hitman Hamza Igamane replacing perennial crock Kemar Roofe, there are more options in the squad this season.
With Rangers holding out Abdallah Sima’s hope this summer, there’s still space for at least one new forward addition and fans are watching on as the club works hard to secure deals.
But Rangers have officially missed out on one Copa America striker they reportedly had an eye on this transfer window, being fired with a transfer warning in the process.
Rangers miss out on Bair
If Rangers had been linked to Canadian striker Theo Bair during the powerful hitman’s time at St Johnstone, the news would’ve laughed out the Ibrox boardroom.
The now 24-year-old forward has had a disastrous start to life in Scottish football after moving to Perth from the Vancouver Whitecaps.
But after moving to Motherwell last summer, Theo Bair was one of the Scottish Premiership’s most unique, physical and lethal striker options last season.
Scoring 15 goals in the Premiership, including one against Rangers at Ibrox, reports had claimed the Gers had an eye on Bair heading into the summer.
But news that Theo Bair was set to complete a move to Auxerre killed those Rangers reports stone dead and now the forward has completed the transfer.
It comes after Bair was impressed with Canada’s duties at the Copa America, the North American nation reaching the tournament’s semi-final.
🆕 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐨 𝐁𝐚𝐢𝐫 𝐧𝐨𝐮𝐯𝐞𝐥 𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐚𝐪𝐮𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐝𝐞 𝐥’𝐀𝐉𝐀 🔵⚪️
Le club est ravi d’annoncer la signature de l’international canadien jusqu’en 2028
👉 https://t.co/LYMpvZY1Nd𝑩𝒊𝒆𝒏𝒗𝒆𝒏𝒖𝒆 𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒐 ! 😃#TeamAJA pic.twitter.com/gMr0iBWvkn
— AJ Auxerre (@AJA) July 16, 2024
Gers sent Motherwell a transfer warning
There’s been some conjecture regarding how much Auxerre is paying for Theo Bair.
The Steelmen’s aptly named manager Stuart Kettlewell branded reports of a £1.3m fee as ‘lower’ than how highly the Lanarkshire club valued the striker, as per the Daily Record.
The Herald and Graeme McGarry have since claimed the deal is worth an initial £1.6m to Motherwell, with £500k in achievable add-ons inserted into the deal.
It’s good business for Motherwell and – with Rangers reportedly keeping an eye on Lennon Miller – it serves as a warning.
Kettlewell has previously insisted that none of his players would be sold on the cheap and Motherwell has shown an ability to get a fair deal here.
With the Bair to Auxerre deal serving as a transfer warning to Ibrox, it’s clear teenage midfielder Miller won’t be sold on the cheap.