One former Premiership striker turned pundit has backed Glasgow Rangers to sign a reported January transfer target.

The Lowdown: January target

It was reported earlier this week that the Ibrox outfit could sign Jerry Yates for just £4m in January, as his current contract at Blackpool expires in 2024.

However, they believe that his price tag will rise if he continues to be as prolific in the English Championship, with seven goals in his last five league games and nine in total for the season so far (Transfermarkt).

The Latest: Yates move backed

Speaking to Football Insider, Whelan has claimed that Rangers fans would be 'quite happy' with the prospective signing of Yates, adding that he looks to be an 'amazing' player.

The 47-year-old, once of Aberdeen, said: “This is a player doing it in a harder division than the Scottish Premiership. He looks an amazing player.

“Rangers have got the money; with the players they’ve sold and the European football – there’s no doubt about that.

“£4million is not a great deal of money to bring in a player who can be prolific for five years. If he can do it in the Championship, he can definitely do it in Scotland.

“Bringing someone in that people have heard of can be a good thing for Rangers. Why wouldn’t he want to go to a club who are likely to be in Europe every season?

“The fans will be quite happy that they are bringing in someone they have heard of.”

[web_stories_embed url="https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/rangers-news-5/" title="Rangers news!" poster="" width="360" height="600" align="none"]

The Verdict: No-brainer

To sign Yates for potentially as little as £4m is surely a no-brainer for Giovanni van Bronckhorst's side.

His goal record and form speaks for itself, and he will surely need little time to settle in if the Light Blues are able to sign him in January.

While Antonio Colak has hit the ground running for Rangers, Alfredo Morelos has been linked with a move away from Ibrox in recent months; and with only a few months left on the Colombian's deal, there is a risk that he ends up leaving by the end of the summer.

Therefore, Yates would also be a smart signing for the long-term, and at 25 years of age, his best years are probably still ahead of him.