Rangers have Benfica fullback David Jurasek “on their list” of transfer targets, according to Sport1 reporter Christopher Michel.
The journalist reports that the Light Blues have joined Marseille and two Bundesliga clubs in pursuing the Czech international’s signature.
Jurasek only moved to Benfica from Slavia Prague for £12m in the summer but he has struggled to establish himself at the Portuguese side.
The 23-year-old has started just 3 matches, making 12 appearances in total, and Benfica have already decided that he will be allowed to leave this month.
A replacement for Yilmaz?
There has been a lot of speculation about Ridvan Yilmaz’s future in recent days, with the player having been linked with loan moves to Verona and Galatasaray. However, the left-back has yet to finalise a switch away from Ibrox.
It may well be the case that Jurasek is being lined up as a potential replacement if Yilmaz or, potentially Borna Barsic, is offloaded before the January transfer window closes.
What do Rangers fans need to know about Jurasek?
The defender started his senior career with Zbrojovka Brno in his homeland before making the free transfer to 1. SK Prostejov.
Just 12 months after joining Prostejov, Jurasek was on the move again, sealing a switch to Mlada Boleslav in the summer of 2021. His impressive rise continued as he got a move to Slavia Prague within 7 months.
At international level, Jurasek made his debut for Czechia in March last year, playing almost the full 90 minutes and getting himself an assist in a 3-1 win over Poland during a Euro 2024 qualifier.
He is an attack-minded fullback, having also been deployed as a winger on multiple occasions for his club. If he does make the switch to the Light Blues in the coming weeks, it’s likely that manager Philippe Clement will have to work on his defensive game.