Rangers and Celtic handed transfer truth bomb as EPL club 'most likely' destination for 12-goal target

The Glasgow giants have both been linked with an interest in Peterborough United’s out of contract attacker Kwame Poku, with Rangers said to have been keen on the star as far back as November, after club scouts watched the 23-year-old score a hat-trick in a 6-1 win over Cambridge United. Celtic are also said to be one of several clubs to have made contact with the player’s representatives last month.

The Ghanaian international scored 12 goals and assisted a further eight as the Posh survived relegation from EFL League One, but the club have confirmed he will depart this summer with his contract expiring at the end of the month, alongside highly-rated teammates Hector Kyprianou and Ricky-Jade Jones.

Peterborough are due a tribunal-set compensation fee because he joined them Colchester United before the age of 21. However, both Celtic and Rangers could take advantage of cross-border transfer rules, with the player likely to be able to sign for a ‘minimal’ compensation fee, as opposed to the much higher development fee English clubs would be forced to pay.

Newly promoted EFL Championship sides Birmingham City and Wrexham have also been credited with an interest in the talented attacker, while Sheffield United are also said to be monitoring developments. However, it now appears that EPL outfit Sunderland may have moved to the head of the queue, after interest from the Black Cats emerged over the weekend.

Speaking to Football League World, former Aston Villa and England midfielder Lee Hendrie believes Sunderland could win the race for his signature, with interested parties likely to be "up against it" in order to sign the youngster if Regis Le Bris’ side table an official offer.

"I think Poku is a really, really good player," said Hendrie. “He’s a young player who has got bags of ability, but obviously there are a lot of clubs that are sniffing around him, like Sunderland and Sheffield United. Birmingham are a team like Wrexham, who are newly promoted. I think they've got to bring in the right personnel who know the league and have potential to go again.

“If Sunderland come in with an offer, you would think that being in the Premier League is the ultimate aim for these guys. As a player, you want to play at the top level and test yourself, and I'm sure Poku is the same because he's got the ability to go and play at the top of the Championship, maybe even the Premier League.”

Celtic are also said to be keen on Peterborough’s teenage defender Harley Mills, with reports claiming they are ready to rival Fulham for the £1million rated left-back as a potential replacement for long serving left-back Greg Taylor. The 19-year-old had a breakout campaign at the Weston Homes Stadium, and scored a memorable free-kick in the 2-0 Vertu Trophy Final win over Birmingham City in April.