Rangers complete the signing of Jon McLaughlin from Sunderland

Rangers have confirmed the signing of Scotland international goalkeeper Jon McLaughlin from English club Sunderland. The 32-year-old has penned a two-year deal with the Gers, the club has revealed.

McLaughlin has been with Sunderland for the past two seasons. However, with his contract expiring at the end of the month, he has made the move to Ibrox.

Jon McLaughlin to Rangers: Five things you need to know…

• McLaughlin started out at non-league English club Harrogate Town and has had stints at Bradford and Burton Albion.
• The 32-year-old spent a season with Scottish club Hearts, before joining Sunderland in 2018.
• He made 90 appearances for the League One side, keeping 27 clean sheets in the process.
• McLaughlin made his international debut for Scotland in 2018. While he has just two caps, he is a regular in the squad.
• The Scotsman has penned a two-year contract with Rangers.

Rangers were in need of bolstering their goalkeeping department after releasing both Wes Foderingham and Jak Alnwick.

McLaughlin arrives as competition for first-choice shot-stopper Allan McGregor, who turned 38 in January. Speaking to the club’s website after his arrival, McLaughlin said:

“It’s a very proud moment for myself and for the family. It is great to be back up here in Scotland and we are very proud to have made the deal happen.”

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Manager Steven Gerrard also expressed his delight at having completed the signing. He claimed that McLaughlin’s vast experience would add more strength and depth to the Gers squad.

Rangers have been very active in the transfer market already. McLaughlin joins Calvin Bassey as the latest arrival at Ibrox, while both Ianis Hagi and Jermain Defoe have made their transfers permanent as well.

Leeds United have made an enquiry for Norwich City’s Emiliano Buendia

According to a report from Read Norwich (h/t Leeds Live), Leeds United have launched an enquiry for the signing of Norwich City star Emiliano Buendia.

The Argentine has been one of the few bright spots for the Canaries this season in the Premier League. And Leeds are eyeing a swoop for the versatile winger in the summer.

Emi Buendia to Leeds: Five things you need to know…

• Buendia signed for Norwich City from La Liga club Getafe in 2018.
• The 23-year-old helped the Canaries to promotion to top-flight last season, with 8 goals and 12 assists in 38 Championship games.
• He has chipped in with 7 assists in 29 Premier League games this term.
• As of Gameweek 29, Buendia has created 73 goalscoring chances – the fourth-highest in the league.
• With Norwich headed for relegation, Buendia is likely to leave the club in the summer.

Buendia has easily been Norwich’s most standout player in what has been a disappointing campaign for Daniel Farke’s side. However, with Norwich primed for relegation, they might be looking to cut costs. As a result, may be forced to offload the Argentine. (h/t Leeds Live)

Leeds are looking to capitalize on the situation as they look to earn promotion back to the Premier League for the first time since 2004.

The Whites did not have the best of restarts after the three-month hiatus. They were beaten 2-0 by Cardiff City this past weekend. As a result, they slipped down to second place, although they remain level on points with leaders West Brom.

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• Leeds United handed boost as five players extend contract till season end
• Report: Leeds United have no intentions of signing Middlesbrough defender Daniel Ayala

Adding Buendia would get them a player with some Premier League experience. He would add a great amount of creativity to the team’s play. From the Argentine’s perspective, he will get a chance to remain in the Premier League, provided Leeds earn promotion.

There is no mention of a transfer fee in the said report, while it also doesn’t state as to what response Leeds received form Norwich over their enquiry. It will be interesting to see if there is any progress to this story in the coming weeks.

Craig Gordon hits out at Celtic over dragged-out contract negotiations

As reported by the Daily Record, Craig Gordon has hit out at Scottish champions Celtic over ongoing contract negotiations.

The 37-year-old Gordon’s contract with the Hoops ran out at the end of last month. They remain intent on re-signing him though, and negotiations over a new deal have been ongoing. But the two parties haven’t been able to arrive at an agreement yet. (h/t Daily Record)

Craig Gordon at Celtic: Five things you need to know…

• Gordon has been with Celtic since the summer of 2014.
• To date, the 37-year-old has racked up 242 appearances for the club, keeping 121 clean sheets.
• The former Scotland international won five Premiership titles, four Scottish FA Cups and five Scottish League Cups with the Hoops.
• Having been a certain starter for years, Gordon lost his place to Fraser Forster in 2019/20.
• Gordon’s contract with Celtic ran out last month. Negotiations over a new deal haven’t gone well. There are other clubs interested in signing the veteran.

Opening up on ongoing talks over a new deal, Gordon hit out at Celtic, claiming that the negotiations could have been handled a lot better. (h/t Daily Record)

“They did speak about it a few weeks ago. The negotiations haven’t been particularly good, I’ve got to be honest. It has dragged out and I feel it could have been handled an awful lot better.”

Gordon also went on to reveal that the new offer that Celtic had tabled required him to take a massive wage cut, which he refused. He further added the Scottish champions were yet to come back with an improved offer. (h/t Daily Record)

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• Wolfsberger manager hints at Shon Weissman exit amid Celtic interest
• Rangers interested in signing former Manchester United academy man Dion McGhee

Gordon, who has rejected an approach from St. Mirren, also claimed that he would be open to returning to boyhood club Hearts, even if it meant playing in the Championship next season. (h/t Daily Record)

With Celtic trying to re-sign Fraser Forster from Southampton, it remains to be seen if they go back with an improved contract offer for Gordon in the coming days.