Rangers news: Manchester City and Chelsea linked attacker seals Ibrox exit

Squires Gate confirmed on 28 February that they had signed a young attacker who was on the books at Rangers.

They also stated that he was previously wanted by Manchester City and Chelsea and labelled the deal as a “huge coup”.

Despite it being the end of February, the Lancashire-based outfit successfully sealed an out-of-window transfer.

Thompson Ishaka secures permanent Rangers exit

The North West Counties Football League Division Two outfit took to X on 28 February to confirm that they had signed Thompson Ishaka.

The 20-year-old Nigerian attacker was tipped for big things in Glasgow since he made a move there from Brooke House FA back in 2023.

His deal at Gers ran through until June 2025, but it turns out that he’s parted ways with the club even before that.

Ishaka was expected to move to Premier League outfit Nottingham Forest back in the summer.

However, Rangers complicated the terms of the transfer, which saw the English top flight high fliers pulling out of the deal.

Ibrox young talent exodus may be a worry for the club in the long term

A pattern seems to be emerging of talented young players sealing their Ibrox exits and that does not bode well for the club.

Gers have also been a side that have wanted to spot young talent at an early age and secure their services before the rest of Europe gets a sniff of them.

Alternatively, they have wanted to sell them for big bucks to a Premier League or top European side.

However, with Zak Lovelace leaving for Millwall, Connor Allan joining Falkirk and even Leon King sealing an exit, albeit on loan, the signs do not look ominous.

The fact that Ishaka was on the radar of a Premier League club in the summer suggests that he was talented and could one day become a first-team player.