Former Celtic target Ben Davies looks set to seal a move to Rangers from Liverpool. The Merseyside club signed Davies in January 2021 for £2m and have struck an impressive £3m deal, with another £1m in add-ons. The Englishman was a target for Neil Lennon as his second spell in charge as manager came to an end during the 2020/21 season.
Now, the move to Ibrox seems to be going through and some appear to suggest that Rangers have beaten Celtic to the signature again. However, there has been little in this from the club this summer as they secured signings for Jota, Alexander Bernabei, Cameron Carter-Vickers and Benjamin Siegrist.
Rangers have agreed a deal worth £4m for Liverpool defender Ben Davies.
The initial fee is understood to be £3m, with £1m worth of achievable add-ons – linked to appearances and team performance. #RFC #LFC
— Anthony Joseph (@AnthonyRJoseph) July 17, 2022
Davies looked set to sign a pre-contract with Celtic as Lennon eyed the Preston North End defender. However, Liverpool gazumped Celtic and offered cash in January for the player, something Preston were only too glad to accept. Davies went across to become a first team central defence option for Jurgen Klopp only for the German to prefer Nat Phillips, Fabiniho and Jordan Henderson. The FA Cup and League Cup winners see Davies as surplus to requirements and he has had to scramble to see if he can find a new team.
Celtic moved well beyond Davies and signed Cameron Carter-Vickers from Tottenham as well as Carl Starfelt from Rubin Kazan. The manager is targeting a new central defender but Davies hasn’t been considered by Ange Postecoglou. The pair were incredible at the back for Celtic, including an inspired display as the American struck the winner at Ibrox, a goal that would give Celtic maximum points to move 6 clear with a huge goal difference over Giovanni Van Bronkhorst’s team.
The Scottish Champions regained the Premiership title last season as well as taking the League Cup back to Paradise. Rangers can sign whoever they want but the reality is that with the season two weeks away, Celtic are in excellent shape and do not need to be dragged into a comparison with the closest challengers.
