Rangers are in ‘advanced talks’ to sign 54-capped international star who has made his mark on the European stage.

Rangers are in ‘advanced talks’ to sign 54-capped international star who has made his mark on the European stage.

Rangers are reportedly in “advanced talks” to recruit Ferencvaros winger Adama Malouda Traore, who has extensive European experience. The 28-year-old, who will apparently be allowed to leave the Hungarian champions this summer for a cost of around £3.5 million, has scored an amazing 14 goals in 24 appearances for the Budapest-based club, despite missing a big chunk of the season due to injury.

In recent months, Gers manager Philippe Clement and head of football recruitment Nils Koppen have worked tirelessly to find targets, with Traore emerging as a prospective recruit to enhance their offensive options.

According to Africa Foot, the Ibrox side have held positive discussions with Traore’s representatives as they eye a summer move, with the player still under contract until 2025. The report adds that conversations have reached a “very advanced stage”.

Capped 54 times by Mali, the powerful wide man joined Ferencvaros from Moldovan outfit Sheriff Tiraspol two years ago, where he was famously a part of the team that stunned Real Madrid 2-1 at the Santiago Bernabeu in 2021. He created history by becoming the club’s first ever goal scorer in the Champions League and also counts French side Metz, US Orleans and Al-Adalah of Saudi Arabia among his former clubs.

Fulham and freshly crowned Austrian Bundesliga champions SK Sturm Graz are also said to be interested in Traore – not to be confused with his namesake, who plays for the Cottagers. Traore has extensive European experience, having competed in the Champions League, Europa League, and Europa Conference League in previous seasons. In his first season with Ferencvaros, he scored 18 goals and supplied 11 assists in 46 appearances across all competitions.

He missed only one European game that year (a 1-0 Europa League loss to Trabzonspor), as they defeated the Turkish club to get to the first knockout stage before losing 4-0 on aggregate to Bayer Leverkusen. He has also scored four goals in six Champions League qualifiers.

With Brighton loanee Abdallah Sima likely to be too expensive to sign permanently, Scott Wright’s future uncertain, and a deal for Oscar Cortes still pending, Clement is anticipated to seek both flanks.

Ferencvaros is said to be eager to cash in on Traore if the asking price meets their expectations. Despite his limited playing time this season owing to numerous injuries, he has played an important role in delivering the club’s 35th league title in history. Traore’s best run of form this season came in the Europa Conference League, where he scored six goals and provided four assists in six games against Shamrock Rovers (Ireland), Hamrun Spartans (Malta), and Zalgiris (Lithuania). His strong eye for goal might make him a valuable addition to Rangers.

Read more on sportchannel.co.uk