Glasgow Rangers are eyeing a summer swoop for a highly-rated Colombian talent as Michael Beale looks to bolster his squad at Ibrox…
What’s the latest on Kevin Mantilla to Rangers?
According to Football Insider, the Premiership giants are in ‘preliminary talks’ with Colombian starlet Kevin Mantilla regarding a potential summer move
The report adds that Rangers have ‘held a meeting’ to discuss the conditions of any kind of deal as Beale looks to plan ahead for next season, although they face competition from Liverpool for his signature.
Who is Kevin Mantilla?
The 19-year-old mainly operates as a centre-back, although he can also play on the right of defence, and his recent performances for Colombia at the South American U20 Championship earlier this month have attracted attention from Europe.
Colombia finished third in that tournament, duly qualifying for the U20 World Cup later this year. Mantilla played the full 90 minutes in every match for his nation and he has already played 26 times for his club Independiente Santa Fe.
Across 18 matches in the 2022 Clausura season, the youngster made 1.2 interceptions, 0.8 tackles and 2.4 clearances per game while winning 55% of his duels, showing great maturity for someone so young.
Ross Wilson could possibly repeat Rangers’ masterclass on Alfredo Morelos in luring the teenage Colombian sensation to Ibrox, especially considering the trajectory of the early stages of their respective careers.
The current Rangers forward played for Independiente Medellin, another club from Colombia, making ten appearances before signing for Finnish outfit HJK Helsinki in 2016 aged just 19 – the same age that Mantilla is at the moment.
The striker burst into life once moving to Europe, eventually scoring 46 goals in just 62 matches for HJK. This attracted the attention of the Ibrox giants, who spent £1m to bring him to Glasgow in 2017, and it was a masterclass of a transfer decision.
Nearly six years later, the 26-year-old has netted more than 100 goals for the Light Blues and won a Premiership title along with becoming the club’s record scorer in European competition.
Mantilla will arguably be a player for the future, but with the success that his compatriot Morelos enjoyed while moving to Europe at such a young age, the 19-year-old could certainly surprise a few people in years to come.
With Liverpool also keen on the teenager, Beale will have to act swiftly in order to secure his signature, but the pursuit of the Colombian could well be a very wise move from Rangers, potentially allowing them to recruit another unpolished gem from the South American country.
