Dan Neil could join Rangers as a free agent this summer
Rangers are making a major push to sign Dan Neil this summer, The Echo understands.
Neil will officially leave Sunderland as a free agent this summer, though his departure was confirmed when he joined Ipswich Town on loan in January. Rangers were interested in a potential move in January and have rekindled their interest in recent months, as first reported by the Scotsman earlier this month.
Though Ipswich Town subsequently won promotion with Neil making 17 appearances all competitions, it’s understood that the Scottish club are currently considered the frontrunners for his signature. Rangers head coach Danny Rohl is understood to be an admirer of the midfielder from his time at Sheffield Wednesday, and is leading a major recruitment drive ahead of the new campaign. As well as his abilities as a midfielder, Neil also fits the bill for Rangers as they are looking to add more leadership to their group: his time as captain at Sunderland during the pressure of a promotion campaign makes him an ideal candidate. Neil is thought to have been identified for a leadership role if he does indeed make the switch.
Rangers are also understood to be making a major push to sign Hearts striker Lawrence Shankland as they bid to make a strong start to the summer window. Reports in Scotland say Rangers are increasingly confident of signing Neil and The Echo understands it’s considered a strong possibility. Neil was at the Stadium of Light on Sunday as a fan alongside Lynden Gooch as Sunderland booked their place in the Europa League for next season and will now make a final decision on his future.
Earlier this month, Rangers Chairman Andrew Cavenagh explained the club’s focus on leadership in their recruitment this summer.
“I would say our focus is on building a winning team and we are prepared to commit more resources to achieve that,” Cavenagh said.
“But it is about the nuances now, about finding leaders, about finding the right mentality and it is less about a dollar amount. We will go into this thinking ‘how do we get the best team?’ as opposed to ‘I have X pounds to spend, what do I do with it?’ One of the things that we are excited about is that we have a lot of good pieces in place.
“If you look at the squad we’ve clearly proven there is talent to play with everyone in the league. We haven’t stitched it together sometimes for 90 minutes and certainly not across the season, which you need to do to win the title. I am trying to be clear – we do think the team needs more chemistry, leadership, experience.”
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