Glasgow Rangers made their first signing of the summer when they confirmed the signing of Lawrence Shankland on a permanent contract late last month.
The Scotland international joined from Hearts after scoring 16 goals in the Scottish Premiership in 2025-26, helping them to second place, but they fell just short of clinching the title on the final day.
He will now be hoping to do even better at Ibrox by using his goalscoring qualities and knowledge of the division to lead Danny Rolle’s side to the title next season.
But Shankland may not be the only Premiership star heading to Glasgow this summer, as the Gers are reportedly leading the race to sign Dundee defender Luke Graham.
The left-footed centre-back is one of the players to keep an eye on as the club look for a replacement for Nasser Dziga, who has ended his loan from Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Rangers told to pay £4.3m to sign central defender
According to Graham’s own manager, Graham wants to play in the Premier League and it remains to be seen whether the Gers can get a deal over the line for him in the coming weeks.
The Light Blues are still considering a move for the Scotland Under-21 international, but the Scottish giants are also keen to sign another defender who would be an even better signing than Graham.
Glasgow Rangers are one of a number of teams interested in signing ZTE central defender Akpe Victory in the summer transfer window, according to journalist Ben Jacobs.
The reporter claims that the Hungarian side would be willing to accept an offer of around £4.3 million for the 19-year-old talent, meaning Gyor would have to shell out a commensurate transfer fee to accept a bid for him.
Jacobs added that Swiss giants Basel have already had two offers rejected by ZTE, while Rangers and Benfica are also interested in signing the Nigerian defender.
The journalist also revealed that teams from Spain, France, Germany and Italy have approached them about potentially signing the teenager, so the Light Blues may need to act quickly to avoid losing out in the race for his signature.
Why Akpe Victory is better signed by Rangers than Luke Graham
Graham is a proven Premiership defender who has proven he can cope with the physicality of the division, which is why he is such an attractive target and could be a fantastic signing for Rangers.
But while the Rangers defender is expected to be calm and near-perfect in possession, Dundee has only completed 80% of his passes this season, so it’s difficult to predict whether he’ll be fit to play in a dominant team.
Graham has lost possession on average 11.5 times per game in the Premiership, more than any other centre-back in the Gers, and may not be used to handling the ball in a high-possession team.
25/26 season | Graham (SPL) | Victory (Fizz Liga) |
|---|---|---|
Appearance | 36 | 13 |
Touches per game | 63.2 | 49.5 |
Pass accuracy | 80% | 88% |
Chip path accuracy | 35% | 93% |
Long pass accuracy | 40% | 56% |
Possessions lost per game | 11.5 | 5.1 |
However, Victory’s performance with ZTE in the 2025-26 Fizz Liga suggests that he will slot straight into Coach Rohr’s team as a ball-playing central defender who will be the starting point of the team’s attack.
In fact, his chip pass accuracy was the highest of any Rangers centre-back, at 93%. This speaks to his ability to comfortably get around the opponent’s press in order to find teammates with chipped passes.
Victory has also broken the dribble less often at league level this season (0.4 per game) than Graham (0.5), suggesting that opposing forwards will have a harder time beating him in one-on-one situations.
Described by Bence Boksak as having “crazy potential”, the teenage star won 58% of his ground duels and 64% of his aerial duels in Fiz Liga, showing that in addition to being a quality ballplayer, he can also be a dominant defender in possession.
The youngster, valued at £4.3m, would therefore be an even better deal than Graham. He’s just as strong in possession, but much better at keeping the ball at his feet, which is exactly what the Gers need as a title-chasing team.
Gassama will love him: £3m star now seriously wants to sign for Rangers
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