West Brom, Leicester City and Coventry face Rangers battle for Sunderland star | OneFootball

The Championship trio are all showing an interest in Dan Neil, but now there's a threat from Scotland.

A trio of Championship clubs are facing competition from Scottish giants Rangers for a former Championship promotion winner from Sunderland.

The Black Cats underwent somewhat of a serious squad transformation over the summer once they made their return to the Premier League via the play-off final at Wembley, with a significant amount of cash spent on new recruits from across the globe.

The likes of Noah Sadiki, Nordi Mukiele, Brian Brobbey and several others arrived on Wearside and have helped Sunderland become a top half Premier League side - but it's also pushed some long-serving players out of favour in the process.

And now, the Midlands trifecta of Leicester, West Brom and Coventry are all facing a new challenge this month, with interest from north of the border in one of their mid-season transfer targets from the Stadium of Light.

Rangers enter the race for Dan Neil alongside Championship trio

League leaders Coventry City, Leicester City and managerless West Bromwich Albion have all been linked with a move for out of favour Sunderland midfielder Dan Neil, as per a report from Alan Nixon in December.

However, they will not only be battling against one another in this particular transfer race, with Rangers now taking an interest in the 24-year-old, who has made just three appearances for the Premier League outfit this season following promotion through the play-offs in 2024/25.

Sky Sports reporter Keith Downie has now claimed that Neil is of interest to Danny Rohl's side, as sides in England prepare for this weekend's FA Cup third round fixtures.

While Coventry have been long-time admirers of the midfielder, Leicester and West Brom first started targeting Neil in December. However, the threat of Rangers will be felt. The SPL's second-place side are also looking at a deal to bring Romaine Mundle to Ibrox this month, and according to Downie, they have enquiried about both players.

Neil is out of contract at the end of the season, and therefore a deal could be secured at a price lower than originally expected - especially with his lack of game time over the course of the last five months.

The South Shields-born ace captained Sunderland to victory over Sheffield United in the Championship play-off final last season, but the arrival of Granit Xhaka in the summer has seen the Black Cats' number four lose his place in the team. His three appearances in the Premier League have all come from off the bench.

Coventry City will still hope their league position wins Dan Neil over

A move to Rangers offers Neil the opportunity to play top flight and potentially European football next season, but with Coventry sitting at the top of the Championship, the chance for another promotion will be enticing.

The Sunderland academy graduate has played 131 times in the second tier, and this experience will be crucial in the final months of the season as the Sky Blues look to fend off the threat of Middlesbrough, Ipswich Town and Preston North End.

Neil would provide ample cover for Matt Grimes, and being six years younger than the former Swansea City man gives Frank Lampard an excellent option for not only the present, but also the future.

Nonetheless, Rangers' status will be a huge pull and with Rohl bringing the Gers back into the title race in Scotland over the last few weeks, Neil may just be enticed by this proposition and Coventry, Leicester and West Brom may well find it tough to beat the Scottish side to his signature.