Rangers are tracking Westerlo defender Bryan Reynolds as they step up their search for defensive reinforcements, with the 24-year-old right-back emerging as one of the names under review at Ibrox.
The interest comes as Rangers try to address gaps across the back line. Reynolds, who made 40 appearances for Westerlo last season and contributed two goals and four assists, is being considered for the right side of defence, where Dujon Sterling is currently the only senior option listed.
That makes the timing obvious. Rangers are still rebuilding after loan spells for Nasser Djiga and Derek Cornelius ended and both players returned to their parent clubs, while Jayden Meghoma’s return to Brentford has left the manager looking for competition at left-back as well. The shirt vacated by former captain James Tavernier is also available, adding another layer to a position Rangers cannot leave short.
Reynolds has spent most of his career in Belgium since joining Westerlo in 2013, after an earlier spell at AS Roma that did not work out following his rise at FC Dallas. He has seven caps for the United States, but he will not be part of the country’s World Cup squad this summer, and reports in Belgium say Westerlo are already bracing for interest because he is entering the final year of his contract.
That is the detail that gives Rangers room to act, but also creates the complication. Westerlo know interest is likely, and they are not being caught cold. Issame Charai has already shown he can do business with Rangers, having secured a loan move for Clinton Nsiala in January, while Tuur Rommens also left Westerlo for Glasgow in the winter window and settled quickly at Ibrox.
Reynolds is not the only defender to have been linked with Rangers either. The club were also tracking Casper Widell last month, while Blackburn Rovers and Derby County have been credited with interest in the Swedish defender in his homeland. Rangers have already opened their recruitment drive with Lawrence Shankland’s arrival last month, and the next question is whether they turn their attention to Reynolds quickly enough to make a formal move before Westerlo test the market themselves.
If they do, the decision will be judged against a simple need: Rangers must add depth at centre-back, left-back and right-back, and Reynolds fits one of the most urgent gaps. If they do not, they risk watching a contract situation that is already moving in their favour slip into a scramble later in the summer.
