Rob Davies
Reports this morning suggest that a number of clubs including Glasgow Rangers, Middlesbrough and Burnley are targeting Dutch striker Joel Piroe with an eye on a summer transfer for the Swansea City top scorer.
According to the report in Football League World, Rangers have sent scouts to watch the former PSV man in recent weeks with a number of other Championships promotion chasing clubs also considering a move come the summer.
The concern for the club will be how much of a fee could be demanded for Piroe when he will have just twelve months left of the three year deal he signed in 2021 for just under ยฃ1m.
Fees in the range of ยฃ10m+ were being suggested last summer after his impressive debut campaign in the Championship with Everton understood to have been interested in January.
But the reality is that figure would be around half come this summer due to the player’s contractual situation and the general market for Championship players these days. The days of James Maddison moving for ยฃ25m+ from this league seem a distant memory.
It can’t be argued that the signing of Piroe was a huge success and with a more cohesive team on better form this term he would have matched rhe 24 goals he returned last season; his 14 certainly not shabby regardless.
It would leave another gaping hole in the squad should Piroe depart and with Obafemi practically out the door (pending his loan move becoming permanent) it looks like a substantial amount of work required in the transfer market.
Anyone for a Whittaker/Piroe double move to Ibrox? You just wouldn’t be surprised.
