Rangers are continuing their efforts to sign Brighton winger Amario Cozier-Duberry, even after their £7.5 million offer was rejected by the Premier League club. The Scottish side remains in discussions with Brighton & Hove Albion regarding the 21-year-old Englishman, reportedly having had two bids for him turned down.
Cozier-Duberry is one of several wide players on Rangers' transfer shortlist following the unexpected failure of a move for PSV Eindhoven winger Couhaib Driouech. While the winger has two years remaining on his contract with Brighton, other clubs have also shown interest in acquiring him through a loan or a permanent transfer.
He has participated in Brighton's preseason matches under manager Fabian Hurzeler, though he remained an unused substitute in their recent 1-0 victory over Bologna. Cozier-Duberry has not yet made a senior competitive appearance for Brighton. However, he had a successful loan spell at Bolton last season, where he scored eight goals and was recognized with a place in the League One team of the year. The season prior, he was on loan at Blackburn Rovers, having previously come through Arsenal's academy system before joining Brighton.
Rangers manager Derek McInnes has acknowledged the need to strengthen his squad, stating that it is not currently sufficient for Europa League competition. The team is preparing for a Conference League playoff tie against Jablonec, with the first leg scheduled for Thursday at Ibrox, after exiting the Europa League.
The club has experienced a challenging start to the season, though pressure was somewhat eased by a 5-1 Premier Sports Cup win over St Mirren on Sunday. That victory has set up a quarter-final tie against Celtic, scheduled for the weekend of September 12/13, marking the first Old Firm derby of the season.
Vanja Dragojevic, a 20-year-old midfielder who joined Rangers from Partizan Belgrade, scored his first goal for the club in the win against St Mirren. He has experienced intense derby matches in Serbia and has been informed that the Old Firm derby may be one of the most significant and intense fixtures globally. He expressed excitement about the prospect of playing in it.
Dragojevic's spectacular volley from 20 yards against St Mirren was his career-best goal, but he emphasized his greater satisfaction in helping the team secure its first win of the season. He noted the importance of the victory for team confidence after a difficult run of games.
