Glasgow Rangers have already made their first signing of the January transfer window, which opened for business at the start of last week.
Philippe Clement swooped to sign Portuguese centre-forward Fabio Silva on loan until the end of the season from Premier League side Wolverhampton Wanderers.
The Belgian head coach could now look to use the next few weeks to make further additions to his playing squad despite an impressive start to life at Ibrox, with the League Cup trophy secured with a win against Aberdeen at Hampden in 2023.
Nils Koppen has been brought in as the club's new director of football recruitment and the pair appear to be working hard behind the scenes to improve the quality of the group.
The Gers are being linked with moves for signings to join on top of the move for Silva and a swoop for another central midfielder looks to be on the cards.
Rangers transfer news – Steven Alzate
Football Insider have claimed that the Light Blues are one of a number of clubs eyeing up a deal to sign Steven Alzate from Brighton & Hove Albion.
LaLiga duo Sevilla and Granada also interested in the 25-year-old dynamo and look set to provide competition in the race for his signature.
Rangers are said to be in the hunt to secure an agreement for the Colombia international, who is due to be out of contract with the English side at the end of the campaign.
However, the Seagulls have an option to extend his deal by a further 12 months and this means that they could decide to trigger that to avoid losing him for nothing this summer.
The report stated that the Scottish giants are keeping tabs on Alzate's situation as they weigh up a move to improve their options in the middle of the park.
There is no mention of how much it would take to strike a permanent deal for his signature, though, and he is currently on loan at Standard Liege in Belgium.
This means that Brighton would need to recall the central midfielder from his spell there before being able to sell him to Rangers permanently, or the Gers would have to wait until the end of the season to sign him.
The Light Blues have already signed one player from the Seagulls this term. They brought Abdallah Sima in on a season-long loan to bolster their forward line and the Senegal international has produced ten goals and two assists in 15 Scottish Premiership starts so far this term.
That deal has proven to be a fantastic one but Clement could replicate the masterclass the club played with Nicolas Raskin by snapping up another midfield talent from Standard Liege – albeit via a parent club this time.
Nicolas Raskin's time at Rangers so far
The Belgian midfielder recently made his comeback from injury with a one-minute cameo against Kilmarnock in the Premiership, which was his 31st appearance for the club in all competitions.
Former Gers head coach Michael Beale swooped to sign the central midfielder from Standard Liege on a permanent deal in January of last year, shortly after Todd Cantwell was signed from Norwich City.
He hit the ground running in Scottish football with 11 starts and 12 appearances in the top-flight during the second half of the 2022/23 campaign.
Appearances
12
Goals
Zero
Assists
One
Big chances created
Two
Tackles per game
1.8
Duel success rate
52%
As you can see in the table above, Raskin was a solid performer in the middle of the park for the Light Blues without being outstanding in his work on or off the ball.
The 22-year-old has taken a big step in the right direction with his performances this season as the Belgian whiz has improved over the past year.
He has made eight appearances in the Premiership this term and averaged 2.7 tackles per game alongside a duel success rate of 58%, which includes a success rate of 75% in aerial contests.
The Rangers maestro has also produced one goal, one assist, and two 'big chances' created in those eight games to go along with a pass success rate of 88%.
Clement could now bring in another midfielder from Standard Liege with the potential to successfully make the transition from Belgian football to the Premiership.
The statistics that show why Rangers should sign Alzate
Firstly, Alzate is 25 and could be an ideal player to come in as John Lundstram, who will be 30 at the end of the season, and Ryan Jack, who will be 32, are out of contract in the summer.
The Colombian whiz has plenty of years left to develop and improve, just like Raskin at the age of 22, and could arrive as the long-term heir to Lundstram and Jack's positions at the club.
His performances in the Belgian top-flight suggest that he has the potential to be an excellent addition to the playing squad for Clement.
Appearances
27
Goals
Three
Assists
Five
Big chances created
Five
Tackles per game
2.4
Duel success rate
55%
Alzate has averaged 3.2 tackles and interceptions combined and won 5.0 duels per match across 11 Pro League appearances this season.
Meanwhile, current holding midfielder John Lundstram has made 2.8 tackles and interceptions combined and won 3.8 duels per game across 18 Premiership outings.
This suggests that the Brighton loanee could provide more grit and defensive steel in the middle of the park in comparison to the English battler.
The £15k-per-week ace, who was once hailed as "creative" by journalist Josh Bunting, also has quality in possession to progress his side up the pitch.
Alzate ranks within the top 5% of midfielders in the Men's Next 14 Competitions over the last 365 days for assists (0.24) per 90 and the top 20% for progressive passes (6.43) per 90.
Whereas, Lundstram has averaged 0.17 assists and 5.33 progressive passes per 90 over the last 365 days for Rangers in his European appearances.
These statistics suggest that Alzate could offer more than the former Sheffield United man in and out of possession with his creativity and progressive playing style to go along with his ability to consistently win the ball back for his side.
Therefore, Clement could repeat the club's blinder with Raskin by securing another star from Standard Liege as the Brighton gem has the quality to be a terrific addition.