Rangers have agreed a deal to bring Joe Rothwell to Ibrox, with the midfielder set to be announced as Russell Martin‘s second arrival of the summer.
Rothwell, 30, will sign a two-year contract after a permanent transfer was agreed between Rangers and Bournemouth on Tuesday. The player has arrived in Glasgow today to complete the deal.
After spending last season on loan at Leeds, where he played a key role for Daniel Farke, Rothwell was entering the final year of a four-year contract signed in 2022 on the South Coast.
He will become the second player to arrive from Bournemouth this summer after Max Aarons joined Rangers on a season-long loan last week.
The dynamic No. 8, known for his ball-carrying ability in midfield and at his best when linking midfield to attack, has previously worked under Rangers head coach Russell Martin. Rothwell spent six months on loan at Southampton in 2024 as they also found a route to the Premier League via a play-off final win at Wembley.
Read more:
- Rangers working on move for Joe Rothwell, talks over permanent deal for midfielder
- Meet Max Aarons: Inside Rangers move, Martin’s previous attempt, ex-coaches’ insight
Before his move to Bournemouth, Rothwell spent four years playing for Blackburn Rovers in the Championship.
Rangers remain hopeful of completing a deal for Leicester City centre-back Conor Coady as a Champions League qualifier against Panathinaikos edges closer. Martin’s side will host the first leg of the second-leg qualifier on July 22 and travel south next week for a pre-season camp at St George’s Park.
International players return to the Rangers Training Centre this week with the club’s first pre-season game against Club Brugge taking place at Ibrox on Sunday.
23-year-old centre-back Emmanuel Fernandez is another centre-back high on the club’s list, with at least one more addition in that area of the pitch anticipated alongside Coady. The 6-foot-4 defender broke into Darren Ferguson’s team last season and was close to a move to Norwich in the January transfer window.
Hamza Igamane did not fly to France last night but will complete a move to Lille within the coming days. The 22-year-old Moroccan favours a move to Decathalon Arena despite interest from Marseille.
Goalkeeping coach Sal Bibbo has also joined Martin’s staff following the expiry of his deal with Sheffield Wednesday.
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