According to Football Insider, Rangers are plotting a pre-contract offer for Preston midfielder Daniel Johnson.
This one is no huge surprise; the report notes that Johnson has rejected a big-money contract offer at Deepdale, and wants to leave.
Johnson is out of contract in the summer, and is now free to negotiate a pre-contract agreement with a non-English club as a result.
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North End would surely rather sell now than see him walk away for nothing, and Rangers are prime candidates to move having had a £1.5million bid rejected over the summer.
The report suggests that Johnson is still on Rangers’ radar, but they would rather strike a pre-contract deal rather than pay cash for him now.
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There is always a chance that Rangers strike a pre-contract agreement and then look to leverage Preston into selling on the cheap this month.
It’s far from an ideal situation for North End, who saw Johnson win the club’s Player of the Year award last season having racked up 12 goals and eight assists.
The 28-year-old Jamaican international hasn’t been quite as impressive this season with his future casting a shadow over his displays, but he remains one of Preston’s better players – and his imminent exit this year is a huge blow.