Exclusive: Rangers and Sheffield United in Transfer Tug-of-War for Southampton's Shea Charles

Rangers and Sheffield United will battle it out for Shea Charles’ signature if Southampton decide to cash-in on the midfielder as part of a squad revamp, SportsBoom can exclusively reveal.

Charles has started 12 Championship games for the Saints so far this term, having spent last season on loan with Sheffield Wednesday.

But with head coach Will Still leaving St Mary’s after less than six months in charge and interim manager Tonda Eckert still waiting to hear if he will be handed the position on a permanent basis, Charles' future could be thrown into doubt should the Belgian’s eventual replacement decide to implement a different tactical template.

This has alerted both United, who attempted to recruit the 22-year-old midway through his stay with Wednesday, and Rangers chief Danny Rohl to the possibility of reuniting with the player during either the January or summer transfer window.

Rohl oversaw Charles’ progress at Hillsborough before also departing at the end of the previous campaign following a fall-out with former owner Dejphon Chansiri. 

The German remains a huge fan of the Northern Ireland international, who has been capped more than 30 times by his adopted country despite being born in Manchester.

Rohl looks set to embark upon a major recruitment drive in order to rescue the ailing Glaswegian giants’ campaign. 

MAJOR HONOURS

Charles made 44 appearances under Rohl at Wednesday and would jump at the chance of working with him again and potentially challenging for major honours when Rangers inevitably improve.

But he also came close to joining United when Wilder, who recently returned to the club for a third spell in charge, tried to persuade him to cross the Steel City divide 12 months ago. 

Although Charles’ representatives players down those links at the time, sources at Bramall Lane insist the player did indicate he would be willing to make the switch without actively forcing his parent club’s hand.

Having inherited a side in desperate trouble following an ill-fated experiment with Ruben Selles, Wilder is desperate to draft in reinforcements and bolster the options at his disposal. 

Sheffield United are also keeping tabs on Leicester City defender Harry Souttar, though he is currently sidelined with injury.

However, Wilder’s plans could be thwarted by news that some members of the consortium which purchased United from HRH Prince Abdullah bin Mosa’ad bin Abdulaziz Al Saud last season now want out, possibly restricting his budget.