Denis Bouanga ‘approached by Rangers’ as Saint Etienne winger gets set for transfer departure
RANGERS made an approach for Saint Etienne star Denis Bounga earlier in the transfer window, according to reports in France.
The Gabon international winger, rated at around £4million, has been linked with a number of clubs this summer.
It's expected he will leave the Ligue 2 club at some point in the window, with a year remaining on his current contract.
The French side want to recoup a decent fee for him but so far no offers have matched their valuation.
Clubs in France, Germany, Belgium and the USA have reportedly been monitoring Bouanga's situation and, according to Le 10 Sport, Rangers made an enquiry to Saint Etienne about the 27-year-old.
They didn't make a formal offer, the report states, and it's unknown whether the approach came before or after Gers signed Rabbi Matondo and Tom Lawrence, both of whom can operate on the wing.
Read more Rangers stories
Los Angeles FC (LAFC) could be looking for someone to back up shiny new signing Gareth Bale and the MLS outfit are reported to have made the highest offer thus far, of around £3million, but Saint Etienne weren't interested.
Some of the other clubs listed include Anderlecht and Club Brugge in Belgium.
Bouanga was close to joining Lille earlier in the summer but that move came to nothing too.
He starred for Gabon at the 2022 African Cup of Nations and has made 32 appearances for his country.
Most read in Football
Before joining Saint Etienne, he played for Lorient and Nimes and was loaned to fellow French clubs Tours and Strasbourg while signed to the former.
He and his Saint Etienne teammates reached the final of the Coupe de France in 2020, during his first season with the club.
However they haven't been able to reach those heights since and were relegated from Ligue 1 last season.
Bouanga doesn't want to play second tier football and his employers know he can fetch them a decent fee that could be turned into two or three players in Ligue 2.
More from The Scottish Sun
Bouanga has made 110 appearances in total for Saint Etienne, scoring 28 goals and providing 16 assists.
Meanwhile, a former Rangers flop is reportedly on the verge of a big-money move to German giants Borussia Dortmund.
Keep up to date with ALL the latest news and transfers at the Scottish Sun football page