Rangers 'monitor' 23 y/o international described as a "prodigious talent" as bid rejected for winger
Rangers are continuing to be active in the transfer window and have been linked with a talented young winger
Rangers have joined the race to sign highly-rated Wolfsberger AC winger Thierno Ballo, according to reports in Germany.
Earlier this morning, a new report from respected journalist Florian Plettenberg revealed that the Glasgow giants had been “monitoring” the Austrian international in recent weeks, and are ready to rival Ajax and Mainz for the signature of the talented youngster this summer.
Ballo, 23, has spent the last three seasons with Austrian Bundesliga outfit Wolfsberger AC following his release by Chelsea, scoring 28 goals in 85 appearances after joining the club in the summer of 2022. A key player at the Lavanttal-Arena, he has featured predominately on the left-side of a front three, but is equally capable of playing in an attacking midfield role.
A former Chelsea academy player, Ballo was described as a "prodigious talent" during his teenage years, and was hailed as one of the club’s potential wonderkids, earning comparisons to both Jadon Sancho and Callum Hudson-Odoi, who had emerged from English Premier League academies at around the same time.
Born in Ivory Coast with a Guinean mother, he initially held Ivorian citizenship before adopting Austrian citizenship. He has represented Austria at various youth international levels, but made his senior international bow last month in a 4-0 World Cup qualifying win over San Marino.
Catching the eye of several huge European clubs after scoring a brace for Austria’s under-17 team against England at the age of just 14, Ballo signed his first professional contract at Stamford Bridge in 2019 and progressed to their under-23 team, where he featured regularly before joining Austrian outfit Rapid Wien on a season-long loan during the 2021/22 season. However, he would struggle on loan in Vienna, playing just eight times before returning to Chelsea.
Elsewhere, Rangers have been rebuffed in their attempts to bring Southampton winger Samuel Edozie to Ibrox, after an initial bid was rejected by the St. Mary’s club, according to a report from BBC journalist Nizaar Kinsella. The 22-year-old won promotion to the English Premier League at Southampton under Gers head coach Martin in 2023/24, and the new boss is hoping to link up with the ex-Manchester City youngster again in Govan. The club were linked with a move for Edozie last summer under ex-head coach Philippe Clement, though the Englishman opted to move on loan to Anderlecht instead.
Comments
Want to join the conversation? Please or to comment on this article.