Rangers transfers: Ex-Man Utd kid emerges as key target as Ibrox side eye up two arrivals

Rangers have been linked with Bournemouth midfielder Joe Rothwell as new head coach Russell Martin continues to strengthen his squad for the upcoming campaign.

Rothwell is out of the first-team picture at Bournemouth and has been made available for transfer. The 30-year-old central midfielder is known to 49ers Enterprises, part of the new ownership at Rangers, after spending last season on loan at Leeds United - another club in its stable.

Rothwell was an important part of the Leeds squad that won the Championship title and subsequently promotion to the English Premier League, while he played for Martin at Southampton for six months. And according to reports south of the border, the Gers boss has identified him as a transfer target and negotiations will open over a fee.

Joe Rothwell spent last season on loan at Leeds United. | Getty Images

A former England Under-20 internationalist, Rothwell came through the youth ranks at Manchester United, although he never made a senior appearance at Old Trafford. Following spells at Blackpool and Barnsley on loan, he moved to Blackburn Rovers permanently in 2018 and spent four seasons at Ewood Park before moving to Bournemouth. He has struggled to nail down a first-team position at the Cherries and has been on loan at Southampton and most recently Leeds.

Rangers have two players so far in the summer transfer window, with full-back Max Aarons - another Bournemouth player - joining Dundee midfielder Lyall Cameron through the door at Ibrox.

Rangers also linked with Brazilian midfielder

Martin is keen to bolster his midfield options, with potential suitors also eyeing up current Rangers duo Nicolas Raskin and Mohamed Diomande, who have been eyed by clubs in the UK and on the continent this summer.

Rangers also continue to be linked with Troyes’ Brazilian midfielder Metinho, who was on loan at Swiss club Basel last season. The 22-year-old helped them win the league title and the Ibrox side would face a battle for his signature from the French Ligue 2 side.

Basel sporting director Daniel Stucki said: "We want to start the season with three or four proven midfielders. It's no secret that we want to sign Metinho permanently. Negotiations with his club are still ongoing. We want to promote several promising young midfielders from the Academy, but we know we need to strengthen too. It won't be a quiet summer."

Sal Bibbo was goalkeeping coach for a year at Arsenal. | Arsenal FC via Getty Images

Martin is also configuring his backroom team for the upcoming season and is poised to land former Arsenal employee Sal Bibbo as his goalkeeping coach, according to multiple reports.

Bibbo is currently at Sheffield Wednesday, but is expected to leave the Championship club after his contract expired last month amid turmoil behind the scenes at Hillsborough. The 50-year-old spent a year at Arsenal between 2019 and 2020 and also had a stint with Reading.

Martin already has assistant manager Matt Gill, who has worked with beforehand at Swansea and Southampton, and performance coach Rhys Owen in the building at Ibrox and is keen to add more staff ahead of the new season.

Rangers are in action this weekend when they face Club Brugge in a pre-season friendly at Ibrox on Sunday. Their first competitive match comes on July 22 when they face Panathinaikos in the Champions League second qualifying round.