NafisaRangers are closing in on the signing of James Penrice from AEK Athens, with the club now finalising the paperwork required to complete the Scottish defender’s move to Ibrox.
According to Sky Sports News, the Gers have agreed a deal to bring the 27-year-old left-back back to Scotland on a season-long loan, with an option included that would allow Rangers to make the transfer permanent.
Penrice has already completed his medical, removing another major hurdle before the move can be officially confirmed.
The transfer comes at an important time for Derek McInnes, who has been forced to address a growing problem at left-back following Tuur Rommens’ injury.
With options limited in the position, Rangers have moved quickly to secure a player who already knows Scottish football and has previously demonstrated his ability at Hearts.
Rangers finalising James Penrice paperwor:
Penrice only joined AEK Athens from Hearts last summer, with the Greek club paying around £2million to secure his services.
However, his first season in Greece failed to go entirely according to plan, and the opportunity to return to Scotland has now presented itself.
Rangers are understood to have agreed the structure of the deal with AEK, with the player set to spend the upcoming season at Ibrox.
The inclusion of a purchase option could prove particularly significant.
Should Penrice rediscover the form that made him such an effective player at Hearts, Rangers would have the opportunity to turn his temporary move into a permanent one rather than having to negotiate an entirely new agreement next summer.
The defender’s medical was completed on Friday and the remaining work is now largely administrative, with Rangers pushing to get the deal formally over the line.
Celtic previously showed interest
Rangers are not the only Scottish club who have monitored Penrice this summer.
Celtic also showed an interest in the left-back earlier in the window, although their initial enquiry did not progress into a formal offer.
That makes his impending move to Ibrox an intriguing one, particularly given Penrice’s previous experience with Hearts.
He enjoyed an impressive spell at Tynecastle before earning his move to Greece, demonstrating that he is capable of performing at a high level in Scottish football.
Rangers will now hope that a return north of the border can help him rediscover that form.
For Penrice, meanwhile, this represents an opportunity to put a difficult season in Athens behind him and prove he can operate at one of Scotland’s biggest clubs.
Rangers still searching for attacking reinforcements:
Penrice is unlikely to be the final piece of business for Rangers this summer.
McInnes remains keen to strengthen several areas of his squad after a difficult start to his tenure, with attacking reinforcements still high on the agenda.
The Gers have made an offer for South American striker Kevin Kelsy, although his current club Portland Timbers are reportedly not looking to sell.
The winger position is another area Rangers need to address after the collapse of their proposed deal for PSV Eindhoven’s Couhaib Driouech.
Rangers had agreed a fee with PSV and had also reached an agreement over personal terms with the Moroccan international.
However, the Gers ultimately pulled the plug on the transfer because of concerns surrounding an injury that they believed could prevent Driouech from making an immediate impact.
PSV have since maintained that the winger is fit enough to play in the short term.
Rangers are therefore back in the market for another wide player, with Girona’s Kim Min-su among the names understood to have caught the club’s attention.
But before McInnes can focus entirely on strengthening his attack, Rangers look set to complete an important addition at the other end of the pitch.
Penrice has completed his medical, the paperwork is being finalised and the Scottish left-back is now edging closer to becoming a Rangers player.
Nafisa
