Nantes have jumped to the front of the queue to land Rangers star Glen Kamara and are preparing a £6 million bid for the Ibrox midfielder.
Kamara, who was named Finland's Player of the Year last week, was namechecked by new Rangers boss Michael Beale as being an integral part of his plans as he prepares to take charge. He was reduced to being a bit-part player under axed boss Giovanni van Bronckhorst, who used the former Dundee player very sparingly this season.
Serie A side Salernitana were linked with a move for the 27-year-old last month and they want him to link up with former Rangers loan star Lassana Coulibaly, who is now at the Italian club. But reports in France have indicated Nantes have targeted Kamara as their No.1 transfer target in the January transfer window and are prepared to pay up to £6 million to land the 27-year-old.
Nantes - managed by former Aberdeen captain Antoine Kombouare - have struggled in Ligue 1 this season and have won just two of their 15 games and are fighting a relegation battle. But the French Cup winners qualified from the group stages of the Europa League and face a tie in the next round against troubled Italian giants Juventus.
They were impressed by Kamara during Rangers' run to the competition's final last season, where they agonisingly lost in a penalty shootout to Eintracht Frankfurt in Seville. There are doubts over whether Nantes' star man, Ludovic Blas, will stay at the club next month after he was linked with a £20 million move to West Ham in the summer and they want Kamara to replace him.
It could be a test for Rangers' resolve especially as Michael Beale stated his admiration for Kamara when he was appointed. He said: "Glen has got 100 per cent of my trust. He was hugely important in my previous time here and while he’s still young, he’s coming into the prime of his career. He will be a big player for Rangers moving forward."
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