The signing of Lawrence Shankland for Glasgow Rangers needs to be the first of several big additions to Danny Rohl's squad during the summer transfer window.

Bringing in a striker who scored 16 goals in the Scottish Premiership in the 2025/26 campaign is a perfect start to the summer, but it has to be the start, rather than the highlight.

The Light Blues finished ten points adrift of Celtic in the title race at the end of the season and lost four of their five matches after split, which shows how much they need to improve the squad ahead of next term.

One player who has been linked with a move to join Shankland at Ibrox is Sunderland central midfielder Dan Neil, who spent the second half of this season on loan at Ipswich Town in the English Championship.

It was recently reported that the Scottish giants are in ongoing talks to sign the English talent on a free transfer, as his contract at the Stadium of Light is due to expire at the end of the month.

What Dan Neil can bring to Rangers

It would be easy for supporters to look at this potential deal and compare it to last summer's signing of Joe Rothwell, who arrived from Bournemouth on a permanent deal after being promoted in two successive seasons in the Championship.

However, the experienced midfielder lacked mobility and did not look up for the battle of Scottish football, hence why Rohl cut ties with him at the first opportunity in January.

Neil, 24, is a combative and mobile central midfielder who would be able to handle the physicality and pace of the Premiership to be an effective box-to-box midfielder for the German head coach, unlike Rothwell.

His statistics in the Championship this season show that he offers a lot out of possession with his ability to get across the pitch to make challenges and win duels.

At the age of 24, the English star would also arrive as a bargain signing on a free transfer. He is valued at £3.9m by Transfermarkt and has plenty of time to increase in value, which means that the Gers could make a profit on him in the future.

In fact, there is a player in the current Rangers squad who has set the perfect example for Neil to follow, as he is worth millions more than the former Sunderland captain.

Worth more than Dan Neil: Rangers have hit gold on star

Whilst the Englishman could join on a free transfer, his market value is £3.9m and that figure is what he will be hoping to increase if he makes the move to Ibrox.

Back in January 2023, the Scottish giants swooped to sign Belgian central midfielder Nicolas Raskin from Standard Liege for a bargain fee of £1.5m, in a similar move to the one that Neil could make this summer.

Since joining the club, the 25-year-old star has racked up 13 goals and 23 assists in 145 appearances for the Light Blues in all competitions, winning the League Cup in the 2023/24 campaign.

His market value has soared throughout his time at Ibrox and currently stands at £10.3m heading into the summer transfer window, which is 587% more than the £1.5m fee that they paid Standard Liege for his services over three years ago.

Whilst his Transfermarkt value does not define how much a team will have to pay to sign him, it does illustrate Raskin's growth throughout his time at the club and shows that there is a path for Neil, who is currently worth millions less, to follow.

The fact that his market value dipped between 2023 and 2024 also shows that there is a need for fans to be patient with young players, because they can go through bad spells and learn from those experiences to become better, as Raskin has.

Rangers are reportedly braced for interest in the Belgium international, whom they have hit the jackpot with at Ibrox, and Neil could end up coming in as his replacement in the middle of the park.

Raskin is the perfect example for the Sunderland midfielder to follow because he joined for a modest fee and emerged as a star at Ibrox, increasing his value over the years by delivering on the pitch.