Bolton Wanderers may hold big advantage over Celtic & Rangers as Liverpool transfer deal sought | OneFootball

Bolton Wanderers are in the race to sign Liverpool midfielder Luca Stephenson alongside Celtic and Rangers. Stephenson is on loan at Dundee United.

Bolton Wanderers have secured their League One play-off spot following Saturday's 1-1 draw with Bradford City, and are already eyeing deals ahead of the summer transfer window.

Steven Schumacher's men have earned just one win in their last five fixtures, and will hope to head into the play-offs with momentum by beating Luton Town in their final game.

The Hatters won't prove to be easy opponents, though, as they can still sneak into the top six if they earn a positive result and other scores go their way.

Luton sit seventh in League One, one point adrift of sixth-place Stevenage, who are set to host a Wigan Athletic outfit who have nothing but pride left to play for.

Bolton Wanderers may hold advantage in Luca Stephenson transfer battle

If Bolton reach the Championship via the third-tier play-offs, Schumacher will be tasked with compiling a squad who are capable of surviving in the second tier.

Amid their promotion aspirations, Wanderers have eyed a move for Liverpool midfielder/wing-back Luca Stephenson, as reported by Scottish outlet The Courier.

Stephenson has also attracted interest from Scottish Premiership giants Rangers and Celtic, having excelled while on loan with Dundee United both this season and last term.

Football League World asked our Bolton fan pundit, Liam O'Meara, if Schumacher has any chance of beating the Old Firm sides to a permanent deal for the 22-year-old.

O'Meara told FLW: "I think it depends on likely playing time. Quite a lot of midfielders make those moves to Rangers and Celtic, particularly Celtic, because Celtic really want to try and sell them on later down the line.

"Is he going to get the game-time? The question I would be asking if I were Luca Stephenson is, how likely are those two teams to invest, particularly Celtic, in their team in the summer?

"Given the mood around the club, it seems likely that they're going to go big on whoever their next manager is going to be. If I were him, I'd want the assurances, particularly the fact he plays in central midfield, which is arguably the position that Celtic have their best players in.

"Yes, he can fill in at right back, so I think Bolton have got a good chance in terms of bringing him in, on the basis that it is a part of the pitch that Bolton are lighter in.

"And if you look at what Johnny Kenny has done on loan from Celtic, established himself in the first-team, scoring goals and being an important part of the team, I think there is a move to sell there for Bolton, it's just whether they can afford to get it done."

Bolton surely need to earn Championship promotion to seal Luca Stephenson deal

Stephenson has proven his versatility while on loan with Dundee United by effectively operating both in a midfield role and as a wing-back in Jim Goodwin's system.

The Liverpool man has also demonstrated his creativity by scoring five goals and producing five assists in 29 Scottish Premiership appearances this term, so it is no surprise that both Celtic and Rangers are interested in his services.

Stephenson has already proven his worth north of the border, which hands both Glasgow outfits an advantage over Bolton in the race for the 22-year-old's services.

However, as alluded to by O'Meara, other factors may sway the former Barrow loan star, such as the fact that Wanderers may be able to offer him more game time than either Rangers or Celtic.

Both the Light Blues and the Bhoys are significantly more prestigious clubs than Bolton, though, so Schumacher's men must earn promotion to the Championship to stand a chance of landing Stephenson's signature.