Rangers to complete transfer for striker imminently: but who is it?

Rangers will shortly complete most of their transfer business by making a move for a new first-team striker, as you are probably well aware. You are, presumably, slightly less well aware of the identity of said striker. Here's our handy guide to the latest odds on each of the suggested targets.

Will Grigg

Why should he come?

Well, there's that song. Also, that didn't come about from nothing: he has done no too bad at Wigan, banging in quite a few goals and providing some excellent line-leading centre-forward play. Could be a real statement of intent, too.

Why shouldn't he come?

He'd cost quite a lot of money, mostly. It would also be a worry for Mark Warburton and Frank McParland not to think a wee bit outside the box (or, more literally, "their pals) when making transfer choices. Surely the whole point of getting scouts was to move on from the Coisty-approved "whoever's pals with the manager and seems like a good lad" policy? Admittedly, Warburton's pals might be better at football, but still.

Odds

Just 1/1, tied with Hull City on BetVictor. How informed that is is highly questionable. We'd be surprised. Warburton also denied that we were interested, which surely kills the move off, since managers never, ever lie to the media, especially when it comes to transfer targets.

Tom Bradshaw

Why should he come?

Young, hungry, and knows where the goal is. The fee shouldn't be too unaffordable with not long left on his deal, and a proper goalscorer could be the exact foil our midfield needs to turn possession and creativity into goals. It makes sense.

Why shouldn't he come?

Walsall are demanding £900,000, which seems to rather overvalue him, and there are quite a few clubs interested. He also doesn't quite have as good a scoring record, or the experience, of some of the other signings mooted.

Odds

The only bookies offering this one seem to have stopped, although Rangers weren't even in the running before for some reason, despite regularly being linked in the press. Again, Warburton denied this one would happen, although how much that means is highly debatable. Rotherham appear to be the current favourites, although you'd expect him to head to Ibrox given the choice, obviously. Even so, it looks like we might shop elsewhere, but far from unthinkable.

Danny Ings

Why should he come?

Well, he's very, very good at football. Jurgen Klopp might not fancy him, and Liverpool have already signed at least one striker, nudging him yet further down the pecking order. A loan could be the perfect thing for his development.

Why shouldn't he come?

Well, because it's Danny Ings, and Liverpool will almost certainly keep him, and even if they don't, plenty of Premier League clubs are likely to be interested in his services. This would be a long, long, long shot.

Odds

Somehow the odds on this are just 2/1. We wouldn't exactly advise you to put the rent on. Stick to the gee-gees. William Hill has shown itself as the best racing bookmaker.

Greg Stewart

Why should he come?

He's a born-and-bred bluenose, and if you are of similar mind to "yer uncle that yer da doesnae really talk to anymore and won't tell you why" then you may consider that reason enough to lump on. However, he's also playing very well for Dundee, he wouldn't cost very much, he's got experience in the league, he scores and creates goals and he can play in several positions. A lot of positives.

Why shouldn't he come?

He's very similar to the other players we have, he's not exactly obliterating the SPFL despite some decent performances, and he's not the natural striker and goalscorer we probably need.

Odds

This seemed very likely at one point, but odds have drifted to 4/1. Maybe one to keep an eye on if you're a gambling man, as it's far from impossible, but it's starting to look like Warburton and McParland have other ideas.

Isaiah Brown

Why should he come?

A new name that's cropped up, with suggestions of a loan, "Izzy" was a very highly-rated youngster, and Mark Warburton loves to borrow light-hearted wonderkids from London clubs to try and help them find their way again. He's also only 19, and has plenty of chances to develop into a great striker. He was also liking tweets asking him about a potential Ibrox move, so who knows.

Why shouldn't he come?

Well, since leaving academy football, he's struggled somewhat to be tremendously effective, and hasn't exactly set the Eredivisie alight, managing only one goal in 22 appearances against defences that made Afonso Alves and Ricky van Wolfswinkel look like Marco van Basten.

Odds

No odds available for this, although we're going to take a flyer and suggest it might well be a goer, albeit in addition to one of the names above or below, rather than instead of. We'd certainly hope, anyway. Let's see what happens.

James Vaughan

Why should he come?

Well, he has plenty of experience, and he's got pace and physicality to offer something a wee bit different for us up front. He'd also be a free transfer.

Why shouldn't he come?

He's not very good and doesn't score many goals and has had a long history of injury problems.

Odds

You can't get any odds on this one right now, and the link seemed to go dead as soon as it appeared. Doesn't seem much of a goer either.

MYSTERY STAR STRIKER

Why should he come?

He's brilliant, he'd solve all our problems, he'd score a guaranteed thirty goals a season, he'd have a huge sell-on value, and he has a wealth of experience. He is, quite simply, the dream signing.

Why shouldn't he come?

Well, because we haven't actually figured out who it is yet. All of the options above are possible, but none seem very likely. Warburton said that our real target had not been identified by the media, and perhaps he was actually telling us the truth. We might just have to wait and see.

Odds

Well, obviously not, no. You can, however, also get odds on Hal Robson-Kanu (25/1) and Zach Clough (10/1) to join the famous. We'd be surprised if it was either of them. But then again, we thought Joey Barton was a wind-up...