Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Daily Record
Daily Record
Sport
Mark Walker

Rangers set for Europa League double trouble as £34m Barcelona strike pair boost Braga's hopes

Rangers will be up against a striker with a £42m buyout clause when they face Braga this month in the Europa League after the La Liga side agreed to sign Francisco Trincao this summer.

The Ibrox side face the Portuguese outfit in the Last 32 clash and they will have their star man available for the showdown.

Barca agreed to splash out £26m for the 20-year-old striker, who's rated as the next big Portuguese talent to come through the ranks.

And, as part of the deal, Braga smashed their own transfer record to sign Barcelona B striker Abel Ruiz for £8 million, who will move to Portugal immediately and is eligible to face Rangers.

But Braga wanted to keep Trincao until the summer so they could mount a Europa League challenge and the highly-rated Portugal Under 21 star won't go to the Nou Camp until the end of the season, meaning he will also face Steven Gerrard's side.

Barca also included the enormous release clause when they agreed to sign Trincao, who first hit the headlines two years ago when he helped Portugal win the European Under 19s Championships.

Braga are in sizzling form ahead of the clash, having won their first six games under new manager Ruben Amorim, which included a Portuguese League Cup win.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.