According to the Scottish Sun, Celtic are interested in signing Red Star Belgrade defender Srdjan Babic next summer, with Turkish giants Besiktas leading the race to sign the 22-year-old.
The same report claims that Nice and Feyenoord are also interested in the towering centre-back who featured in the Serbian club’s Champions League campaign this season.
Celtic are in dire need of bolstering their defensive options in the summer, with Dedryck Boyata and Filip Benkovic set to head for the exit door at the end of the season. Benkovic is expected to return to Leicester City while Belgian international Boyata is out of contract in the summer.
Babic was one of the standout performers for Red Star in the Champions League this season as the Serbian outfit finished last in their group.
Born in Bosnia, he moved to Serbia as a teenager and joined Vojvodina where he won the Serbian cup. One of the cornerstones of Serbia’s triumph in the FIFA U20 World Cup, Babic was snapped up by Real Sociedad but he never really made it to the first-team.
However, he has once again hit top gear since his move back to Serbia with Red Star Belgrade, helping the club win the Serbian SuperLiga.
Standing at 6ft. 5 inches with a towering and muscular frame, Babic is an absolute beast of a centre-back who is noted for his physicality and aerial ability. He is not particularly fast or agile but he makes up for it with his calmness and composure on the ball and good sense of positioning.
The Serb is not amongst the best tacklers but he excels with his marking inside the box, keeping himself on his feet to make interceptions.
To put things into perspective, Babic is a promising young defender who can be a welcome addition to Celtic’s ranks but Rangers should also look to enter the race to sign the Serb. Steven Gerrard will need to freshen up things at the back with some young blood in the summer and Babic certainly fits the bill.
Rangers need more depth and quality in their defensive options next season, with Nottingham Forest loanee Joe Worrall set to return to his parent club at the end of the campaign.
Worrall has been a rock at the heart of the defence for the Gers this term and his departure would deal a huge blow to their squad depth. Connor Goldson has looked shaky at times while 39-year-old Gary McAuley is expected to hang up his boots sooner or later.
Croatian international Nikola Katic is another promising defender in their ranks but a strong and powerful centre-back like Babic can be a potentially good signing for Rangers if he hits the ground running.
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Rangers look set to be missing out on the Scottish Premiership title this season to pace-setters Celtic. They need to mount a stronger challenge next term and the acquisition of Srdjan Babic might work in their favour.