Glasgow Rangers recently confirmed that several players will not remain with the club heading into the 2024/25 campaign as they will upon the expiry of their contracts at Ibrox this summer.
Jon McLaughlin, Kemar Roofe, Ryan Jack, Borna Barisic, and John Lundstram are all due to move on from Glasgow on free transfers ahead of next season.
This means that Philippe Clement and Nils Koppen may need to work hard and move quickly to identify and sign targets to replace the players who are leaving for nothing.
The Light Blues are already looking to sign a talented young central midfielder who could come in as an exciting replacement for Jack this summer.
Rangers want to sign 20-year-old whizkid
According to Football Scotland, the Gers want to sign Penarol whizkid Damian Garcia to bolster their options in the middle of the park ahead of next season.
The report claims that the talented young midfielder is on the club's shortlist of targets to improve the team, following the signing of Oscar Cortes on loan from Lens earlier this month.
It states that head of recruitment Koppen has flown to Cancun for the TransferRoom summit to discuss potential deals with other club chiefs, and that Penarol had a representative at the event.
Football Scotland then goes on to speculate that talks could have taken place between the two representatives, of Rangers and Penarol, over a potential deal to sign Garcia.
Whilst it remains to be seen how far advanced a move may or may not be for the Uruguay U20 international, the Gers are seemingly keen to sign the South American gem and he could be an exciting replacement for Jack this summer.
Why Damian Garcia would be an exciting Ryan Jack replacement
South American football writer Nathan Joyes described it as an "exciting" link for Rangers due to the profile of signing it would represent, which is one of the reasons why it could be a fantastic deal in response to the Scotland international's exit.
The Light Blues would be bringing in a 20-year-old whizkid with plenty of years left ahead of him to grow and develop to replace a 32-year-old veteran who did not have much, if any, development left to go through.
Along with being a long-term signing due to his age and potential, Garcia could also come in as an immediate upgrade on the former Aberdeen maestro.
Appearances
12
11
Goals
1
1
Assists
0
0
Interceptions per game
4.6
0.0
Ball recoveries per game
9.9
3.0
Duel success rate
42%
46%
Aerial duel success rate
58%
0%
As you can see in the table above, Garcia's form in Uruguay during the 2024 season has been more impressive than Jack's was during the 2023/24 Scottish Premiership campaign.
They both provide a similar threat in possession in terms of scoring and creating goals but the 20-year-old offers considerably more from a defensive perspective, with his superb ability to recover the ball and make interceptions to cut out opposition attacks.
This is why the 5 foot 10 prospect could be an exciting replacement for Jack as he is a young gem who has already displayed fantastic quality at first-team level this year, particularly when it comes to his work out of possession in the middle of the park.
Clement could sign his own Aaron Ramsey in early Rangers swoop
The Light Blues have been linked with an interest in the England international.
ByDan EmeryJun 4, 2024
It is now down to Koppen and Clement to secure a deal for his services to ensure that they land a player who could be the future of Rangers' midfield, with Jack now old news after his exit from Ibrox.