Brentford left-back Jayden Meghoma is on Rangers' radar as Jefte nears his return to Brazil - with the club stepping up attempts to bring the defender to Ibrox on loan.
Meghoma, 19, moved to the Premier League club in a deal worth up to £10m from Southampton in the summer of 2024 and spent the second half of last season back in the Championship on loan at Preston.
Rangers are in the market for a left-back after agreeing a fee of £6m for Jefte to move back to Brazil and join Palmerias.
The Rangers Review understands that Russell Martin and Kevin Thelwell have identified Meghoma as the player to replace Jefte at left-back, with talks ongoing over a straight loan deal from Brentford.
The England Under-19 youth international joined Southampton in 2022 and worked briefly in the club’s first team with current Rangers head coach Martin. Meghoma has also represented England at Under-16, 17 and 18 levels. Having previously played for Tottenham before making the move to St Mary’s, he signed his first professional contract in 2022.
Read more:
- Jefte to Palmeiras transfer fee revealed as Brazilian nears transfer exit
- Robbie Fraser leaves Rangers on permanent transfer for Championship club
“He is adaptable and can play outside or inside full-back,” now-Spurs boss Thomas Frank said after Brentford signed the left-back last summer.
“There is still a lot he can learn, but Jayden is a player we have a big belief in. Jayden is an England youth international and one of the biggest left-back talents this country has.
“Again, we had competition from other clubs, so we are definitely doing something right."
Jefte was signed by former technical director Nils Koppen and the club will recoup a fee nearly 10 times what was initially paid for him. The 21-year-old, who joined for a deal in the region of £800k last season, represents Martin’s only senior left-back option, with Ridvan Yilmaz free to move on this summer. Besiktas, Ridvan's former club, are interested in re-signing the man they sold to Rangers three summers ago, but the two clubs remain apart on valuation.
Meanwhile, youth academy graduate Robbie Fraser has joined Dunfermline Athletic on a permanent transfer, ending the left-back's long association with Rangers.
Martin used Max Aarons at left-back in the early games of this season, but has since switched the on-loan Bournemouth defender to his natural right side. The head coach has a preference for defenders who are flexible to move inside or outside and protect against transitions centrally, with final-third width predominantly coming from wingers.
Jefte, by contrast, is a defender more comfortable by the touchline as a traditional overlapper, with an ability to progress play individually using his ball-carrying ability.
Jefte and Oscar Cortes have been left out of the squad for a Champions League play-off against Club Brugge, with Thelo Aasgaard and Mikey Moore taking their place.
The club have been heavily active in the English market this summer as they seek to rebalance the squad to suit Martin’s playing squad.
Aarons (Bournemouth), Djeida Gassama (Sheffield Wednesday), Nasser Djiga (Wolves), Moore (Spurs), Manny Fernandez (Peterborough), Aasgaard (Luton) and Joe Rothwell (Bournemouth) have all moved to Ibrox ahead of the new season. Oliver Antman has also joined from Go Ahead Eagles after an impressive 2024/25 Eredivisie campaign.
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