Michael Beale hasn’t taken long to move on from losing Alfredo Morelos at Glasgow Rangers, raiding Italy to sign attackers Sam Lammers and Cyriel Dessers ahead of next season and they surely won't be the only two forwards who arrive at the Ibrox side during the transfer window.
The Gers have also been linked with a move for young striker Benie Traore, who is currently playing for BK Hacken in Sweden and although money has been spent to sign both Lammers and Dessers recently, Beale will need to fork out around £4m if he is to add the 20-year-old to his armoury.
Much has been made of a summer overhaul of the squad, and it has perhaps arrived a couple of years too late, with Steven Gerrard failing to improve the first team following the stunning Premiership title-winning season in 2020/21, as they subsequently fell behind Celtic over the next two terms.
With Morelos departing after six years at the club and Antonio Colak attracting interest from MLS sides and Werder Bremen – with the Gers setting a price tag of £2m for anyone who wishes to sign the Croatian this summer – the Ibrox side will start next season with a totally different frontline to how they lined up under Giovanni van Bronckhorst.
Kemar Roofe could remain the one constant, yet last season was heavily disrupted by injury, as he missed all but six matches and that has unfortunately been the story of his spell at Rangers, missing more matches than he has played and unless he comes back fighting fit at the start of next season, Beale will have to find a heir for the Jamaican international.
What could Benie Traore offer Rangers?
The Ivorian may the perfect player to come in and eventually replace Roofe in the squad, although he tends to be a more out-and-out striker compared to the Gers attacker, who can drop deeper and can also operate on either wing, but the key similarities are that they both score goals.
Roofe has scored 36 in 78 appearances for the Light Blues, while across only 57 senior matches, Traore has already notched 24 goals, suggesting that he is lethal in front of goal and could add some more attacking dynamism to Beale’s attacking options.
That’s not to say that Traore isn’t a team player, as he has registered nine assists during those 57 games, with the 30-year-old managing to grab just six assists during his three seasons at Ibrox, clearly suggesting there is more to the youngster's game than meets the eye.
Football talent scout Jacek Kulig lauded him in May, tweeting: “Häcken's jewel. Another highly talented player from the great ASEC Mimosas Academy.”
Despite scoring 93 goals in the league last term, Beale’s side still trailed Celtic by 21 goals and this was perhaps a key factor in the trophy heading to their Old Firm rivals for the second season in a row.
The 42-year-old could take a gamble on the Hacken starlet, similarly to when the club signed Morelos from Finland, and with Roofe having just one year left on his current deal, Traore could be a perfect long-term replacement for him.
