Joe Aribo Close To Joining Premier League Club, From Rangers In A £10m Deal.
Southampton are in advanced talks to sign Super Eagles star Joe Aribo from Rangers.
The Glasgow club are seeking at least £10m for him.
Joe Aribo is in the final year of his contract at Ibrox and Rangers are keen to extend his deal, or risk losing him for free next summer.
The Nigerian International reportedly rejected a new contract offer from Scottish Premiership giants, Glasgow Rangers.
Aribo, who can play in a number of positions up front, began his club career at Staines Town then spent four years with Charlton Athletic in the English Football League.
He joined Rangers in 2019 for a reported £300,000, where he won the Scottish Premiership in 2021 and the Scottish Cup a year later.
Southampton have emerged as top contenders in the race to sign the 25-year-old midfielder Joe Aribo, but Rangers have however insist on his £10million release clause to sell Aribo.
Aribo played more games and minutes (70 matches) last season, making the only player in World football to reach the mark in a single season for both club and country.
Fifty-seven of those games were for Rangers, as he scored nine goals and provided 10 assists for his teammates in the 2021/22 campaign.
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Aribo had an arguably excellent season with Scottish top-tier side Rangers last season.
The versatile midfielder, was an integral part of Rangers team under gaffer Giovanni van Bronckhorst, as he was even deployed as a makeshift striker when van Bronkchorst was left with no recognised number nine towards the end of the season.
His performance in the UEL final in Seville in May impressed a host of admirers.
Aribo scored as the teams played out a 1-1 draw in both the regulation and extra time before the German outfit won 5-4 in the ensuing penalty shootout.
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According to the Athletic, Southampton manager Ralph Hasenhuttl, is eager to lure Aribo to St Mary’s.
It was revealed back in December that scouts from St Mary’s had been sent north to keep tabs on Aribo. The Nigerian is also keen on the move and will sign a four-year deal with the club.
Patrick Vieira's Crystal Palace, and newly promoted sides Fulham and Nottingham Forest are other Premier League clubs paying close attention to the situation, the Saints are now favourites.
Rangers prepares to fly out to Portugal on Monday for a pre-season training camp, and the Ibrox chiefs could be tempted to cash in on the playmaker to avoid losing him for free next summer.
Born and raised in London, Aribo has being a regular for the Nigeria national team, being eligible due to his heritage.
He gained his first cap in 2019 and was part of their squad for the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon who crashed out in the last-16 against Tunisia.
Aribo also played in the 2022 World Cup qualifying matches where they lost a spot in Qatar having failed to defeat Ghana.
He was part of the Jose Peseiro squad that took part in the 2023 AFCON qualifying games against Sierra Leone and Sao Tome and Principe.
He played the entire 90 minutes as the Super Eagles kicked off their campaign in Group A to reach the Ivory Coast finals with a 2-1 win against the Leone Stars at Abuja National Stadium.
However, he missed out of their second group fixture as they demolished Sao Tome 10-0 at Stade Adrar in Morocco.
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