Aston Villa and Leicester City have approached Rangers over midfielder Joe Aribo, according to Fichajes.net, with the clubs hoping to complete a deal before he plays another game at Ibrox.

The lowdown

25-year-old Aribo is in the final 18 months of his £14,000-per-week contract at Ibrox.

The midfield maestro, who can also play on the right, joined Rangers on a free transfer from Charlton Athletic in 2019 and has gone to make 123 appearances for the club.

He's now valued at £5.85million by Transfermarkt, a figure that's soared since the summer of 2020.

The latest

The report claims Steven Gerrard has 'expressly requested' the signing of Aribo as he looks to reunite with the player in the Midlands.

Leicester are at a 'disadvantage', but their midfielder Wilfred Ndidi is a 'great friend' of Aribo and will try and convince his countryman to pick The Foxes.

Both clubs have 'already contacted' Rangers but if they're to do a deal in January, it'll most likely have to be before Aribo 'concentrates' on the Africa Cup of Nations.

UK-based players are expected to link up with the Nigeria squad on Monday, January 3, meaning Aribo has played his last game for the Light Blues if one of the buyers get their wish.

The verdict

Could Aribo have played his last game for Rangers? Well, if Villa and Leicester are wary of losing out to each other, they may well try to fast-track the deal in the next week.

While they would be furnished with the funds to replace him, losing Aribo would undoubtedly be a big blow to Giovanni van Bronckhorst.

He's started 19 out of a possible 20 Premiership matches and ranks as their second-highest performer according to WhoScored metrics, behind only James Tavernier.

Aribo, who's scored six goals and provided three assists in the SPFL, has been hailed as a 'gem' and the 'best player in the league' by sports journalist Josh Bunting, so the club must ensure they bank a huge profit if they opt to cash in.

In other news, Rangers have been linked with this Spanish sensation.