Reported £15m ex-England U21s striker claims Rangers tried to sign him, linked in 2020
08/05/2024 14:30
Saido Berahino is a name that many Rangers fans believe could've done a job at Ibrox.
The former England U21 striker was at one stage tipped for the very top of the game but a series of controversies in the English top flight cost him a career at the top level.
There was a moment when Saido Berahino looked set to take the British game by storm but unfortunately, things transpired against the Burundi-born hitman.
Now, inviting something of a social media grilling on controversial platform X, Berahino has made a Rangers transfer claim that appears to back up Ibrox links from the Steven Gerrard era.
Berahino asked Rangers transfer poser
Back in the summer of 2020, Rangers were reportedly exploring a move for Saido Berahino.
A report in Voetbal Nieuws in Belgium claimed that Steven Gerrard and co were impressed by the striker's resurgent form at Zulte Waregem and as a result the forward had caught Ibrox attentions.
But alas a move for the ex-West Brom striker never materialised and, following a brief stint at Charleroi in Belgium, Berahino actually wound up at Sheffield Wednesday.
Once a £15m signing for Stoke City, the striker is now turning out for AEL Limassol in Cyprus and invited questions from supporters on X.
One Rangers fan asked the striker if the Ibrox club ever tried to sign him, to which Berahino responded 'once'.
Interestingly, the forward named former Rangers midfielder Graham Dorrans, who was a teammate of Berahino's at West Brom, as the 'best player' he ever played with.
Could Gerrard have accessed Saido's potential?
It's interesting to consider Rangers were legitimately interested in signing Saido Berahino.
Whilst the striker isn't clear exactly when the discussions took place, it appears clear the Gers once considered a move for the talented Burundi forward.
Famously escaping Burundi as a child to build a life in Birmingham, the striker burst onto the scene with West Brom and at one point looked destined for the top.
But a string of infamous run-ins, including with Stoke manager Tony Pulis surrounding a move to Tottenham, cost the forward.
As did a distinct downturn in form.
Saido Berahino's story is certainly an interesting one and at 30-years-old, it continues in Cyprus.
But what might've been had Rangers taken the plunge on a forward who never quite reached his early potential in the game.
Especially with Steven Gerrard at the helm.
