Glasgow Rangers were poised to secure a deal for talented Honduran winger Luis Palma just a matter of weeks ago, yet the move appears to have gone cold.
The Ibrox side stated their interest back in April, as Michael Beale sought a replacement for Ryan Kent on the left wing, as it was growing increasingly likely he would be departing the club. However, recent reports now claim that any potential deal for Palma is off due to Greek side Aris Thessaloniki demanding a fee of around £4.5m for the winger.
Having registered 13 goals and eight assists across just 36 matches for the Super League side – eight more than Kent achieved last term – he was looked upon as an ideal heir to the Englishman on the left wing. His statistics certainly suggested he could add some attacking dynamism to the wing which was sorely lacking during 2022/23.
It now appears as though Beale will have to look for an alternative to Palma, and he may already have a player in mind as the Light Blues have been linked with a move for LAFC winger Kwadwo Opoku, with a potential deal costing them €4.8m (£4m) as per the report.
This would work out cheaper than Palma, and with Opoku three years younger than the Aris star, it could even be a better long-term deal for the club.
Could Rangers sign Kwadwo Opoku this summer?
There is a big void to be filled on the left wing following the departure of Kent, and even though new signing Abdallah Dima can play across the front three, he is most productive on the right wing, signifying the need for Beale to splash out on a left-winger this summer.
The Gers face competition from Celtic for the LAFC starlet and will need to make a solid pitch about why choosing Ibrox is a better proposition than Parkhead, but it could certainly be worth the battle.
He played a key role for the club as they won the MLS Cup in 2022, registering 12 goal contributions across the whole campaign – eight goals and four assists – and he has carried this momentum into the 2023 season.
Across 26 matches so far, he has scored four goals and grabbed three assists, meaning he is fast on his way to improving on last year's totals. The Ghanaian also ranks fourth in the squad for successful dribbles per game (1.4) and sixth for big chances created (six), indicating that even though he is still developing, Opoku still has a high level of influence in the squad for these attacking metrics.
Lauded as “magnificent” by journalist Owuraku Ampofo after helping LAFC win the MLS Cup last year, it’s evident that the 21-year-old gem could be an excellent signing should Beale make a move for the youngster and one that could take the Premiership by storm.