It’s no secret that Glasgow Rangers are set to sign a new right-back before the summer transfer window closes in early September.
James Tavernier will officially leave Ibrox when his contract expires at the end of June and become a free agent, but his departure will fill a huge hole in the right-back department.
The English defender, who has been the Scottish Premiership giants’ first-choice right-back for a decade, will not be an easy player for the club to replace this summer.
One target the Light Blues are eyeing is reportedly Westerloe right-back Brian Reynolds, who is valued at more than £4 million by the Belgian outfit.
The American international, who was not selected in the World Cup squad, is said to be excited at the prospect of a move to Ibrox and is interested in a permanent move to Glasgow.
Rangers submit contract offer for Championship defender
Reynolds is not the only right-back on the club’s list of candidates to replace Tavernier, having scored 144 goals and provided 148 assists in 565 games in all competitions for Scotland.
Danny Rohr’s future is up in the air due to his relationship with Austrian side RB Salzburg, but efforts to strengthen the German national team are still underway behind the scenes.
According to Soccernet, Glasgow Rangers are in the process of signing Blackburn Rovers right-back Ryan Alebios as a potential replacement for Tavernier and as a replacement for Reynolds.
The report goes so far as to claim that the Light Blues offered a transfer fee of around £5m to sign the Nigeria international in the summer transfer window.
It was reported earlier this week that the Gers are expected to agree personal terms with the defender, who is open to a move from Ewood Park this summer.
Now, it remains to be seen whether the English Championship side will accept a £5m offer from the Scottish giants for star full-back Tony Mowbray.
Why the Rangers should sign Ryan Alebios over Bryan Reynolds
Rather than moving ahead with a deal for Reynolds for around £4 million, the Jays should focus their efforts on completing the reported signing of Alevios in the coming weeks.
The Nigerian star’s performances at Blackburn in 2025/26 suggest he would be an even better addition to the squad at Ibrox and a better fit to replace Tavernier.
As mentioned above, the Rangers captain has been an assist machine for the club throughout his time in Glasgow, and Alebios has the potential to provide regular creativity from the right-back position.
25/26 season | Reynolds (Pro League) | Alevios (Championship) |
|---|---|---|
Appearance | 39 | 39 |
A big opportunity has arisen | 5 | 12 |
Shah | 4.35 | 6.38 |
assist | 5 | 5 |
Number of successful crosses per match | 0.6 | 1.1 |
Possessions lost per game | 14.2 times | 12.9 times |
Described as “powerful” by analyst Kai Watson, the Blackburn star has the engine and quality to get up and down the pitch every week and create chances for his team-mates.
He said Reynolds created more than twice as many “big chances” while playing the same number of games at league level in 2025-26, suggesting the Nigerian star is far better suited to take over Tavernier’s creativity.
Reynolds is not as creative as the £5m-rated star, so Alebios would be a better addition for Rangers to fill the role they need at right-back.
Neither full-back target has the goalscoring record to be able to replace Tavernier’s goals, but Rangers can find goals from elsewhere on the pitch so they don’t need to replace a completely comparable player.
From a defensive standpoint, Alebios had more tackles per game (1.7) than the American (1.4) and fewer dribble breakthroughs (0.4) than Reynolds (0.5) at league level, suggesting he could offer the Gers more as a defender.
He won 54% of his ground battles in the Championship with Blackburn, showing his strength in tackling, while Reynolds only won 50% of his ground battles in Pro League Westerlo.
So the Gers could land an even better contract than Reynolds by swooping on the Rovers star this summer. This is because he appears likely to succeed at Ibrox, demonstrating his qualities on and off the ball in the right-back position.
