Rangers did not consider a move for former Manchester United attacker Jesse Lingard despite links to the player, who is now close to joining Corinthians.

According to Football Insider, links between Jesse Lingard and Rangers were dismissed out of hand, with the former Manchester United attacker now close to joining Corinthians in Brazil. Rangers never really considered making a move, while the player was not interested either.

Jesse Lingard has had a strange career trajectory of late, despite shining in the Premier League as recently as 2022. The player has played the majority of his games for Manchester United, but also had a productive loan spell at West Ham in the 2020/21 season.

He could have joined the Hammers permanently, but instead spent the next season at Old Trafford before joining Nottingham Forest on a permanent deal for the 2022/23 season. The Midlands side paid huge wages to tempt Lingard to choose them over other suitors, but the move barely worked out in their favour, as the former Manchester United attacker showed little improvement in his game.

Since leaving Forest the following summer, he made a surprise move to South Korea to join FC Seoul on a two-year deal. Lingard had a productive spell in Asia, scoring 19 goals and providing ten assists in 69 appearances across two years. However, there was no plan to extend his stay beyond the expiry of his contract, and the Englishman has been a free agent since the turn of the year.

Fabrizio Romano has confirmed there is an agreement in place for Lingard to join Brazilian side Corinthians, with the move set to be completed upon the conclusion of medical tests and other formalities. As he prepares to open a new chapter in Brazil, the former Manchester United attacker had still been linked with a return to Europe, with some clubs mentioned as potential suitors, including Dutch side Feyenoord.

Were Rangers interested in Lingard?

Apart from Feyenoord, there were also links to Spanish sides Celta Vigo, Sevilla and Real Oviedo, but it appears Lingard had other plans. Rangers were linked as well, but the report suggests the Ibrox outfit never realistically considered approaching the former Manchester United attacker.

The 33-year-old had no interest in joining Rangers either, as he does not view his future as being in Europe at the moment. Hence, the decision to join Corinthians after talks with the Brazilian side makes perfect sense for Lingard as he looks to further his career. While a move to Ibrox might have made sense on paper, he has chosen a different pathway for now