Steven Gerrard is hopeful of getting a deal completed for Huddersfield midfielder Juninho Bacuna before Rangers take on Alashkert in the Europa League play-off this evening [19th of August], the Scottish Sun reports.
What is the latest transfer news involving Juninho Bacuna?
The report discloses that Rangers are currently in discussions with the Championship side, and Gers boss Gerrard is hopeful that a deal can be done ahead of the game against the Armenian outfit, which kicks off at 8pm.
What has Steven Gerrard said about any potential new signings?
Whilst appearing at Rangers' pre-match press conference ahead of the game against Alashkert, Gerrard provided an update on how the club are progressing when it comes to making new signings.
"The progress is really good. It’s strong and we’re hoping to have some news in the coming days. But until it’s done and dusted, it’s very hard to give an exact time and date.
"I am hoping for more positive news in the coming hours and maybe sometime on Thursday. We might have something to say around the game. We’ll just have to wait and see," he said.
What kind of pedigree does Bacuna have?
The 24-year-old, whose contract expires at the end of this season, has been a mainstay over the last few years for Huddersfield, making 107 appearances and scoring 12 goals.
Before moving to England, Bacuna made his name at Groningen, where he clocked up 94 appearances.
WhoScored shows that the player provided the joint-third most assists for Huddersfield in the Championship last season with four. He was also accurate when it came to recycling the ball, as Bacuna made 857 accurate short passes.
Will Bacuna become a first-team regular at Ibrox?
Rangers do have a lot of central midfielders in their current first-team squad. As shown by Transfermarkt, at the moment Steven Davis, John Lundstram, Scott Arfrield and Joe Aribo are all available for selection, whilst Ryan Jack and Nnamdi Ofoborh are injured.
Despite those being available, the Gers boss wants to add more depth to that area of the squad, as he bids to win a second Scottish Premiership title in a row for the Ibrox side.
That would come from Bacuna, and it will be interesting to see if he is put into the team straight away, with the Gers facing Ross County and Celtic in the league over the next 10 days.
If Bacuna gets a chance against Celtic and performs well, then it would be a very promising start to his Rangers career, putting him in good stead to feature regularly.