Former England international Carlton Palmer believes Rangers do have a good chance of landing Blackpool forward Jerry Yates when the January transfer window opens.

It was reported earlier this week that the Gers had sent scouts to watch the 25-year-old and Palmer feels that the Scottish club could use the lure of European football as a way of tempting him north of the border:

“If he was going to go in the January transfer window, it’s where he’s likely to play, I think he’s likely to play more at Rangers, and that would give him a greater opportunity of playing in Europe. Money will impact on that, I would think that Rangers could pay him the money that he might get in the Premier Lague, but I wouldn’t say they’d be the front-runners because even when you play at Rangers or Celtic, it’s still not the same as playing in the Premier League, it really isn’t.”

There are at least nine other teams keeping tabs on Yates, including two Premier League sides, so it certainly won’t be easy to win the battle for the striker, but Palmer is right to say that Rangers do have plenty to offer.

Whether the Light Blues can match Blackpool’s reported £5m asking price, though, is another matter. His scoring record in the Championship this season is pretty decent (eight goals in 16 matches) but it would still be a sizeable outlay.

The club may have to splash out on a forward at some point, especially if Alfredo Morelos does leave on a free transfer next summer, so Yates could be a realistic option.