Rangers and Celtic linked with ‘next Paulo Maldini’ in cut-price swoop

A Dutch left-back who has drawn comparisons to Paolo Maldini has been linked to Rangers,

weeks after the player’s transfer to Celtic was first suggested.

Every now and again, Celtic and Rangers are able to sign a cheap player who goes on to accomplish incredible things in the game of football;

Even if there haven’t been many of those in recent years,

the stature and renown of the two Glaswegian titans mean that elite players are

frequently connected to moves to the second city as a result of their on-field accomplishments.

Both teams typically look to the European market to discover possible deals and boost their value on the domestic scene,

as defensive reinforcements are essential if they hope to improve their standing in European football.

And according to rumours from the Netherlands, Gijs Smal, the left-back for FC Twente,

has been branded “the new Maldini,” and Ibrox is now a potential destination for him.

Since Ridvan Yilmaz’s future is still up in the air and Borna Barisic isn’t getting any younger, Smal,

along with Josh Doig of Verona, who has been mentioned as a potential “swap deal” for Yilmaz,

could potentially fill the left-back position when it becomes vacant in the summer.

Due to his resemblance to AC Milan icon Paolo, he has been dubbed “Smaldini.” At the age of 23,

he signed with Twente and contributed a standout ten assists for the previous Eredivisie champions in the previous campaign.

He was valued at £6 million the previous season,

but he will be free to depart on a summer transfer.

However, if a club puts up a money this month, they can sign him before others do,

avoiding competition for his services, as Twente transfer manager Arnold Bruggink revealed.

“Of course, we would very much like it if Gijs signed a new contract with us,” the speaker stated.

But that needs to be desired by both sides.

Unfortunately, we also need to be realistic about that aspect of his future.”

Given Bernabei’s lacklustre debut in the green and white shirt,

Celtic were linked to a move last month,

albeit he would have to compete with Greg Taylor for playing time.

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