Cobblers hoping to secure signing of Rangers midfielder Matt Crooks

The Cobblers are hoping to tie up the signing of Rangers midfielder Matt Crooks.
TRANSFER TARGET - Matt Crooks in action for Accrington StanleyTRANSFER TARGET - Matt Crooks in action for Accrington Stanley
TRANSFER TARGET - Matt Crooks in action for Accrington Stanley

The Chron understands the Glasgow giants have accepted a bid, believed to be in the region of £100,000, for the former Accrington Stanley man.

Crooks is also wanted by Town’s Sky Bet League One rivals Scunthorpe United, but the Iron have gone public to say they are unable to match Rangers’ valuation of a player they signed on a four-year deal last summer.

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The 23-year-old spent the second half of last season on loan at Scunthorpe, and manager Graham Alexander has made no secret of the fact he wants to sign the player on a permanent basis.

But it is understood the Cobblers, who have met with Crooks and his representatives, are the only club to have agreed a fee with Rangers, and the decision is now in the hands of the player.

Born in Leeds, Crooks began his career in the Manchester United Academy before switching to Huddersfield Town, where he signed his first professional contract in 2010.

He made only one appearance for Huddersfield, and after loan spells at Halifax Town and Hartlepool United, he moved to Accrington, also on loan, before signing on permanently at the Crown Ground on February, 2015.

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Crooks was a key man in John Coleman’s side as they just missed out on promotion from Sky Bet League Two, which was won by the Cobblers, but in the summer of 2016 Crooks and Stanley team-mate Josh Windass both made the move to Ibrox.

Manager Mark Warburton picked both players up for a cut-price £60,000 apiece under FIFA regulations as they had both signed pre-contract agreement with the Scottish club.

An ankle ligament injury suffered prior to the start of the season meant the player was always playing catch-up at his new club, and he only made one start and two substitute appearances for the Light Blues before joining Scunthorpe on loan, making his Iron debut in their 2-1 win against the Cobblers in January.

Crooks scored three times in 12 games for the Iron before injury brought a premature end to his campaign.

With Warburton leaving Rangers in the second half of last season, and Pedro Caixinha taking over, Crooks has found himself surplus to requirements as the Portuguese rebuilds his squad.