Rangers could be set to add to their US contingent by snapping up Houston Dynamo’s Scots-born midfielder Stuart Holden. Holden is out of contract next month and Walter Smith is said to be preparing an offer for the player if he is allowed to add to his squad in January.
Rangers’ financial difficulties mean that unless a buyer is found it is unlikely that Smith will be able to recruit during the January transfer window and there has been speculation that at least one first-team player will have to be sold. However, the manager has been lining up Holden in the hope that the situation will change to allow him to pounce for the US international.
Aberdeen have also been linked with the midfielder, who was born in the city but moved to Texas with his family at the age of 10. The 24-year-old, who has won the MLS championship twice with Houston in the last four years, is said to be keen for a move to Europe ahead of the World Cup in South Africa.
According to a report in The Herald, Rangers had Holden watched as he appeared for USA in a friendly against Denmark last week. The player is also said to have spoken to Rangers’ US midfielder Maurice Edu about playing in Glasgow.
The player is one of the rising talents in the US game and was named in the MLS Team of the Season last week. It is thought that he was brought to Rangers’ attention by Maurice Johnston, now managing MLS side Toronto.
If the deal is completed, Holden would become the third US international to move to Ibrox in recent years, hooking up with international team-mates Edu and DaMarcus Beasley.
The player has admitted that he wants to progress from the MLS but does not want to jeopardise his international career by making the wrong move in January. With a number of options available to him, if Smith was allowed to make a move he may have to convince the ambitious midfielder that he would see enough game time in the second half of the SPL season.
"My contract is up and I've told Houston Dynamo I want to weigh up my options before I commit to anything,” Holden said.
“I would never rule out staying there - given what they have done for me - but I'd be doing myself a disservice if I didn't look further afield.
"I'm available on a free and I've already got a few options in Scotland and England. Moving back to the UK appeals but I have to make sure wherever I end up I'm playing every week.
"I have a big chance to play at the World Cup in the summer and don't want to miss out on it by being at the wrong side."
