Glasgow Rangers are keeping a close watch on striker Petar Ratkov ahead of the summer transfer window as Michael Beale looks to strengthen his squad at Ibrox.

What’s the latest on Petar Ratkov to Rangers?

According to Football Insider, the Premiership giants are monitoring the Serbian striker as they look to find potential replacements for Alfredo Morelos, as his future is still uncertain.

Ratkov is wanted across Europe, with both Anderlecht and Parma having bids rejected for him during the January transfer window, so there could well be a battle for his signature once the season has finished.

The 19-year-old currently plays for Serbian top-flight club FK TSC, and no fee has been mentioned as of yet ahead of any potential move.

Will Alfredo Morelos leave Rangers?

Colombian striker Alfredo Morelos is in the final few months of his Rangers contract, and although Beale claimed that he would sit down with the player to sort out his future once the transfer window shuts, there has been no word of an extension as of yet.

Having scored 121 goals for the club in six years, he will be tough to replace; and although Ratkov won’t be touted as a like-for-like replacement due to his age and inexperience, he may well become Beale’s very own Luka Jovic.

The Serbian machine was signed by Real Madrid in 2019 for €65m (£58m) having impressed during the early part of his career, and Ratkov could be on a similar trajectory.

Indeed, according to talent scout Jacek Kulig, the teenager’s main strengths include pace, link-up play and heading, and this is certainly similar to the current Fiorentina striker.

Jovic likes to do layoffs and plays the ball off the ground often, with the two strikers keen on linking up well with team-mates. The 25-year-old has scored 15 headed goals throughout his career, which suggests that the two are quite comparable in their respective styles of play and their main strengths.

While maybe not as clinical as he would like, Ratkov is still only 19 years of age and has scored five times in 21 league matches this term, creating two big chances and averaging two shots and 0.7 key passes per match, showing that he doesn’t solely rely on goals in order to provide an effective attacking threat.

Compare this to Jovic this season, who has netted three times in Serie A, taken 1.8 shots per game, created zero big chances and played 0.7 key passes a game, with the youngster outperforming his elder compatriot across a few metrics in 2022/23.

Ratkov may not be the answer to Beale’s Morelos conundrum, although signing him this summer could not only lead to the Serbian developing into an excellent talent; he might also become Rangers’ own version of Jovic, and it could lead the Light Blues towards making a solid profit in a few years’ time.

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