Rangers and Celtic have both made pre-contract offers to Charlton Athletic midfielder Alfie Doughty, a report from The Daily Record has claimed.

Doughty has been the subject of much speculation in recent months, and with his contract set to expire at the end of this season, he is now free to agree pre-contract deals with clubs outside England.

Now it seems as though the two Scottish giants will both be looking to take advantage of that.

According to this latest report, both Celtic and Rangers have now submitted offers for Doughty, as they look to win the race for the 21-year-old.

The midfielder who is now said to be considering his future, as he weighs up the offers that have been made to him.

However, it seems as though the Old Firm clubs are not alone in their pursuit of the 21-year-old, with Charlton manager Lee Bowyer revealing on Friday night that three unnamed Championship teams - one of which is thought to be Stoke City - have had bids accepted for the midfielder.

Doughty has made 41 appearances in all competitions for Charlton, scoring three goals, but is currently out of action until next month due to a hamstring injury.

The Verdict

This does look to be a sensible approach for Celtic and Rangers to take.

With the offers now starting to come in for Doughty from the Championship, the pressure is somewhat on the Scottish giants to make sure they take advantage of the position they are in when it comes to securing a pre-contract agreement for the midfielder.

Indeed, when you consider the potential impact that he could make in the future, you do feel it could be crucial for whoever wins the race for his signature now, since they may never have a better chance to do so, and it could come back to haunt them if they don't.