Adrian Grbic signed for Clermont Foots last summer (Getty Images)
According to Football Insider (h/t Daily Express), Rangers are interested in Austrian striker Adrian Grbic.
The Scottish giants see him as a potential future replacement for their star striker Alfredo Morelos. The Colombian finisher has been attracting a lot of interest, with Leicester City boss Brendan Rodgers keen on securing his services.
23-year-old Morelos has been Rangers’ undisputed first-choice finisher since arriving at the Ibrox in the summer of 2017. Morelos bagged the top-scorer award in the Scottish Premiership with 18 goals last season.
So far, he has scored an impressive 77 goals from 137 matches across all competitions for Rangers, making him one of the top players in the side. Morelos was equally impressive this term too, racking up 12 goals and three assists from 26 league games. He is only second to teammate and top-scorer Jermain Defoe, who has 13 under his belt.
Morelos scored 29 goals and provided 10 assists in total this season, making him an inevitable part of the Steven Gerrard’s side. Thus, losing a proven goal-scorer like Morelos could be a major blow for a side like Rangers, who are trying to end Celtic’s dominance in the league.
The young Colombian has been crucial to Rangers’ rise to second place in the rankings in the league table in recent times. His superb form in front of goal helped Rangers progress from third to second in the league standings, thus, signifying his worth within the side.
Grbic, who currently plays for French side Clermont Foot 63, has had an impressive debut season for the Ligue 2 side. The 23-year-old who arrived on a free transfer, has scored 17 goals and four assists from 26 league appearances.
He is the second-highest goal-scorer in the French second division and has helped his side climb to 5th place in the league table – their best position in the last four years. A Stuttgart academy graduate, Grbic has spent spells at Floridsdorfer AC and Rheindorf Altach in Austria before enjoying a breakthrough with Clermont this season.
Moreover, Gerrard’s Rangers lack depth in the finishing department, with Defoe, Greg Stewart, and Florian Kamberi being the other options. Though Defoe still looks strong, he will turn 38 this October and is nearing the end of his career.
30-year-old Stewart, on the other hand, is not a regular starter nor a favourite considering the 16 league appearances he has made this term. Albanian Kamberi, meanwhile, is on loan and is expected to return to his parent club Hibernian at the end of this season.
Hence, Rangers’ decision to look for a Morelos replacement seems like a safe move by the Scottish club.
At the moment, Rangers just have Defoe and Stewart as a back-up for main striker Morelos. However, both are past their thirties, meaning Rangers need to find a young striker for the side if they wish to stay on top in the future. The Austrian finisher has been in great form and could be an excellent signing for them with a clear eye in the future.
