RANGERS target George Edmundson has handed in a transfer request after an improved offer from Rangers for his services was booted out by Oldham yesterday.

The Ibrox club had an initial bid for the defender - believed to be in the region of £450,000 - rejected last week, and a subsequent offer of £500,000 has now also been knocked back with the Boundary Park club hoping to start a bidding war for the 21-year-old.

Derby, Portsmouth, Stoke and Wigan are also reportedly showing interest in Edmundson, and three bids from clubs south of the border have also been kicked out already.

That has led Edmundson to take matters into his own hands, and having knocked back a contract offer already to extend his stay at the English League Two club, he has now tried to force the issue to get the move that he craves.

Oldham are believed to be holding out for an offer closer to £1million for their home-grown asset, but Rangers may be reluctant to splash out such an amount on a player who would be making a considerable step up.

Edmundson was named the player of the year for the Latics last season, and was also named in the League Two team of the season.

Rangers have already secured Steven Davis, Jake Hastie and Jordan Jones on pre-contract agreements for next season, and are closing in on securing a similar deal for former Kilmarnock and Aberdeen attacker Greg Stewart, as manager Steven Gerrard looks to bolster his squad for a tilt at the Premiership title.