Glasgow Rangers midfielder Joe Aribo is nearing a departure from Ibrox, according to reputable transfer reporter Fabrizio Romano. 

The lowdown: A star is born

Signed from Charlton Athletic in 2019 for £300,000 (BBC), Aribo has been nothing short of sensational for the Gers since arriving in Glasgow.

The 25-year-old London-born Nigeria international has directly contributed to 51 goals in 148 appearances for the club and was a key figure in the side that lifted the Scottish Premiership title under Steven Gerrard in 2020/21.

Amidst reported interest from Aston Villa, Crystal Palace and Nottingham Forest, it now appears as though Southampton have won the race to land Aribo this summer...

The latest: 'Almost done...'

Taking to Twitter, Romano, a renowned transfer expert, has claimed that the 20-cap international ace's switch is nearly complete.

He stated: “After Lavia, Southampton are also set to sign Joe Aribo. Been told deal is almost done for £6m plus add-ons to Rangers. No problem on player side, as was reported by

@David_Ornstein. Incoming director Joe Shields, key for the move. #SaintsFC Romeo Lavia joins on £12m fee.”

The verdict: Huge loss

Albeit a healthy boost to Giovanni van Bronckhorst's coffers during the transfer window, the mooted £6m fee falls some way short of the windfall that the Teddy Bears might've wished for in ideal circumstances.

However, with the £9m-rated star in the final 12 months of a deal (Transfermarkt), selling the man hailed as a 'beautiful footballer' by journalist Josh Bunting during AFCON in January at this juncture is certainly the preferred option, as opposed to losing a prized asset for nothing further down the line.

Having scored nine times and registered 10 assists in a mammoth 57 appearances across all competitions last season, attention at Ibrox must now turn towards finding a suitable replacement with adequate quality and perhaps more importantly, durability, to fill the void left by Aribo.