Leeds United look set to add a second January signing to the Under-23 squad.
Mateo Joseph Fernandez was brought in at the beginning of the month and he could be joined by young Rangers left-back James Maxwell.
The 20-year-old looks set to end his time with the Scottish champions after being unable to break into the first team in the last couple of seasons.
According to reports, The Gers are closing in on the signing of Johnly Yfeko who most recently played in Leicester City’s development squad but is currently a free agent.
With him also playing left-back, it may signal the end of Maxwell’s time in Glasgow.
The Daily Record first broke the news of Leeds’ interest after the player himself admitted that he was ready for a new challenge in a refreshingly honest interview.
In that interview, he said: “I’ve accepted the fact that I’ll probably need to leave Rangers. At a big club, it’s always hard to break through. I knew my chances would be limited.
“I’ve just had to focus on my loans, making sure that I get game time and play well. I’ve always had it in the back of my head that if it didn’t happen for me, I needed to have a career regardless.
“If it’s not at Ibrox, I’d go somewhere else. I feel I’ve done what Rangers wanted me to do when they sent me on loan.
“So there’s a wee bit of frustration but I’m not angry. It isn’t keeping me up at night, thinking: ‘What else can I do?’.
“I’ve given myself the best opportunity and it looks like it won’t be enough for Rangers. That’s fair enough.”
The loans he was referring to have been at Queen of the South and Ayr United in the Scottish Championship where he has been particularly impressive.
The young left-back is currently still on loan with the latter but, if an agreement was reached between Leeds and Rangers, it would likely cut short his spell north of the border.
Like many of the young players that are signed by the Whites, Maxwell would probably join up with Mark Jackson’s U23 squad initially but the ultimate aim would be for him to move into the first team.
It would also provide another option to cover for Junior Firpo if his injury problems were to continue, leaving Stuart Dallas in his favoured midfield role.
