Rangers pick their first summer signing: Smart deal requires ‘minimal’ fee

Rangers are zeroing in on Huddersfield youngster Cameron Ashia as their first summer signing.

The 19-year-old is in the midst of an interesting season in League One. Despite not yet being a guaranteed starter, Ashia has had a remarkable impact, scoring six goals and providing three assists in just over 1,000 minutes.

Three of his goals and all of his assists have come in 431 minutes of league play, illustrating that he has become something of a super sub for the Terriers. As a result, the teenager is attracting the attention of suitors.

Besides his exploits on the pitch, Ashia is appealing to clubs because of his contract situation. It is believed that his terms expire in the summer, allowing him to freely choose his next employer.

According to Football Insider, Rangers are among the sides that have taken a keen interest in the EFL sensation. Due to his expiring contract, signing him would only require “minimum compensation.”

Ashia to Rangers could be a masterstroke

“He’s a player that I think a lot of clubs will probably be looking at due to his contract situation,” journalist Pete O’Rourke explained. “He’s out of contract at Huddersfield in the summer as well, so he could be lured away for minimal compensation if he was to make that move up to Scotland.

“Ashia is obviously a young player and is highly regarded at Huddersfield, but maybe has not made as many starts as he would have hoped this season. But there is a real potential there, and Rangers will be doing their homework on a number of players ahead of this summer.

“If they can sign a top young player who’s 19 right now for free in the summer, it’ll be a real smart piece of business by Rangers. Rangers have had success previously signing players from the EFL. So I’m sure he’s one of a number of players that is on their list for the summer window.”

Data from analytics firm SciSports backs up that Ashia could be a shrewd signing if given the time to develop. While not at the level to start for Rangers yet – after all, he doesn’t start for Huddersfield – he has significant potential.

SciSports believes that the 19-year-old could become one of the best attackers at Ibrox if he fulfils his potential. His potential is higher than the current ability of Oliver Antman, Djeidi Gassama and Mikey Moore, although all three can also still improve quite a bit.

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