Dan Neil has been linked with a move to Rangers, as well as Championship clubs Southampton, Wolverhampton Wanderers, and West Ham United.

West Ham, Wolves, and Southampton were all linked, but the Saints appeared to have won the fight for a player also linked to Ipswich and Coventry City.

The battle for the Sunderland midfielder has been intense, and his contract at the Stadium of Light expires today. He finished last season on loan with Ipswich, where he earned his second promotion from the Championship in as many seasons, which is why Southampton and other clubs were interested.

The 24-year-old has appeared in 152 Championship games, the majority of which have been with the club where he began his career. Sunderland will play in Europe next season, therefore they were happy to let Neil run down his contract and leave on a free transfer on July 1st.

Southampton prepared for a transfer blow as Sunderland’s Dan Neil picks Rangers.

Neil appeared to be joining Southampton to perhaps replace Shea Charles, but it now appears that he is moving north rather than south.

According to journalist Ben Jacobs, Neil was anticipated to join the Rangers as a free agent.

Sky Sports’ Keith Downie confirmed that a deal had been reached after the 24-year-old was in talks with Southampton last week and appeared to have chosen St. Mary’s over the Scottish giants.

He indicated that circumstances had altered dramatically in the previous 48 hours, and Rangers had swooped. In reality, the midfielder had a medical at Ibrox over the last 24 hours, and Downie said it was expected to be confirmed soon.

Rangers confirmed the agreement just minutes after Downie and Jacobs said he was on his way, with the midfielder signing a three-year contract with the club.

Dan Neil would have effectively replaced Shea Charles at Southampton.

Southampton’s loss of Neil is an even bigger disappointment, given that Charles is almost probably leaving this summer. While the former Sunderland man is not the same style of midfielder as Charles, he would have made an excellent addition to Tonda Eckert’s engine room ahead of another promotion drive.

Despite his young age of 24, Neil would have provided them with leadership, possession composure, and a lot of Championship experience.

If Charles leaves, Southampton will already have a large midfield vacuum to fill, making the loss of a player of Neil’s calibre all the more frustrating.

Finding someone of his calibre without paying a large transfer price is a difficult challenge, and the Saints have now passed up that opportunity. Although their recruiting team will surely pursue other targets, Neil appeared to be one of the market’s standout value signings, potentially mitigating the impact of losing one of their most influential midfielders.

It’s a tremendous coup for the Rangers. They defeated a number of English second-tier teams to win his services. Southampton had a rough finish to the season and a challenging start to the summer window.