Aribo set for Southampton medical, agrees personal terms 

Southampton have agreed to a fee with Rangers over the transfer of Super Eagles playmaker Joe Aribo ahead of the midfielder's exit from Ibrox.

Football Scotland exclusively revealed that Aribo had made his mind up on his future and would be quitting the Ibrox club in the coming days.

Southampton and Rangers had been locked in talks but a breakthrough has been made and Aribo is set to complete a move to the South Coast over the weekend.

He had been due to link up with Rangers in Portugal after getting an extended break but it's now expected that he will stay in England to finalise his move.

 A medical will take place over the weekend but Aribo is believed to have agreed personal terms already and will sign a contract. 

The Nigeria international is expected to sign a four-year deal at St Mary's and follow a host of other players who have swapped the Old Firm for Southampton.

That includes his Rangers team-mate Steven Davis as well as the likes of Virgil van Dijk, Fraser Forster, Victor Wanyama and Stuart Armstrong who have all impressed at the English club.

A transfer fee of £6million up front with add-ons that could bring it to £10m has been agreed, with Rangers also inserting a sell-on clause which could earn them more cash in the future.

Giovanni van Bronckhorst will now look to bring in a replacement for the playmaker. They are set to sign Antonio Colak in the coming days but Aribo's versatility and quality will be difficult to replace for the club.

When Aribo moved to Rangers in 2019 from Charlton Athletics his manager then Lee Bowyer said ,"When people from England go and play for Celtic and Rangers, it's at the end of their careers. That's because it's very rare you get a move from Rangers to the Premier League."

Then Bowyer lost his prized asset to Steven Gerrard's side in a move he felt "didn't make sense". Three years on, Nigeria international Aribo is on way to the Premier League with Southampton.

An Ibrox spell in which the 25-year-old has played an integral role in Rangers winning a first top-flight crown in a decade appears to have culminated in reaching the Europa League final and a Scottish Cup triumph last term.

A reported package of £10m for a player signed for just £300k, and in the last year of his contract, is certainly smart business - but with the start of the 2022-23 campaign looming, where does Aribo exit leave Rangers?

Before you touch on the adaptability and goal contribution Aribo brings, his availability must also be commended.

The attacking midfielder played 5,571 minutes over a staggering 70 games for club and country last term - more than any other player in world football.

During Gerrard's tenure, Aribo's versatility was key as he was regularly switched between the midfield three and the front trio.

Last term, however, with Van Bronckhorst dealing with a striker crisis after the injuries to Alfredo Morelos and Kemar Roofe, Aribo was tasked with leading the attack - a switch which "helped me realise what I'm capable of," he told BBC Sport Africa.

Deployed as a central striker, Aribo helped the Premiership club achieve the unthinkable of reaching the Europa League final, which ended in a heart-wrenching penalty shootout defeat by Eintracht Frankfurt.

The Nigerian netted the opening goal in the Seville showpiece, his 26th - and potentially final - strike for the club.

Over his three years in Glasgow, Aribo has contributed to 51 goals in 148 games, with 19 of those coming last term in the shape of nine goals and 10 assists.

No other Rangers midfielder has scored more in any of the three seasons Aribo has been at the club, a void Van Bronckhorst must fill with what he already has at his disposal or with the funds that will come his way.