If Rangers sign 30-year-old, he will better than anything Celtic have

Add as preferred source on Google

Rangers and Celtic are both likely to be in the market this summer for a new centre-back. The Old Firm sides are set to wave goodbye to handful of central defenders, while some have simply failed to live up to the billing.

Celtic are expected to lose Dedryck Boyata and Mikael Lustig as they enter the final weeks of their contract. Boyata is widely considered the best centre-back in Scottish football, but he is likely to want to move on.

The likes of Jack Hendry and Marvin Compper are likely to be sold after failing to have any kind of impact, and it is a similar scenario at Rangers. Gareth McAuley’s contract is set to expire, while Joe Worrall is only on loan.

Like Nottingham Forest loanee Worrall, Filip Benkovic is on loan at Celtic from Leicester City but Brendan Rodgers has told the Croatian defender that he will be returning to the King Power this summer.

So, both Old Firm sides are thread bare at centre-back. But Rangers could be about to change that, after French newspaper L’Equipe claimed the Gers are interested in signing Rennes centre-back Mexer.

The 30-year-old is out of contract this summer, and is a somewhat surprising target for the Gers given that the 44-time Mozambique international has clocked up 40 appearances for the Ligue 1 side this season.

He scored in Rennes’ surprise penalty-shootout Coupe De La Ligue win over Paris Saint-Germain, powering a header to equalise. He is a household name when it comes to defenders in the French top tier.

Strong in the air, physically capable of shrugging the likes of PSG’s Edinson Cavani off the ball and a presence in the opposition box from set pieces, Mexer is an excellent centre-back.

With Celtic losing Boyata and Benkovic, Rangers would boast the best centre-back in Scottish football if they can lure Mexer to Ibrox this summer – leaving Celtic envious.