Report: Rangers make £3m bid for target, president admits he ‘wants to go’

Photo by Elif Ozturk Ozgoncu/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

Rangers have submitted a £3 million bid for Ridvan Yilmaz as they look to lure the Besiktas starlet to Ibrox following Calvin Bassey’s big-money move to Ibrox, as reported by Turkish publication Cumhurriyet. 

Ahmet Nur Cebi, the president of Super Lig giants Besiktas, said at the start of the summer that Yilmaz was free to leave. So long as someone was willing to meet his £8 million asking price, that is.

Now, with less than 12 months left on his contract, it seems highly unlikely that Rangers are going to play ball.

The Scottish Premiership runners’ up want Yilmaz to fill a Calvin Bassey-shaped hole in Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s backline (Daily Mail). But, while the departures of both Bassey and fellow Nigerian Joe Aribo give Rangers £30 million to play with, they have no intention of paying over the odds. 21-year-old Yilmaz, after all, will become a free-agent in July 2023. 

According to Cumhurriyet, The Gers have submitted an opening bid of £3 million for Yilmaz. Besiktas will likely hold out for more, however, safe in the knowledge that Yilmaz attracting admiring glances from all across the continent. 

“Most importantly, Ridvan wants to go,” Cebi admits. 

That he wants to leave is public knowledge. Where he ends up next, however, is far less certain.

Rangers could replace Calvin Bassey with Ridvan Yilmaz

Photo by Evrim Aydin/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

In an intriguing twist of fate, Rangers could take a measure of revenge on fellow Europa League finalists Eintracht Frankfurt. Talks between Besiktas and the Bundesliga outfit broke down this month due to a disagreement over how the Yilmaz deal would be structured (Sport1). 

Tottenham Hotspur were also linked in May.  

Since then, Spurs have reinforced their left flank with the evergreen Ivan Perisic. Ryan Sessegnon, meanwhile, has made impressive strides since Antonio Conte succeeded Nuno Espirito Santo in the Tottenham Hotspur hotseat. 

A technically gifted full-back blessed with a pinpoint delivery, Yilmaz actually produced far superior numbers to Bassey across 2021/22. He provided a combined seven goals and assists in the Turkish Super Lig last term. A damn sight more impressive than Bassey’s tally of just two. 

Rangers have already brought in one left-footed defender this week in Liverpool’s Ben Davies.

Photo by Elif Ozturk Ozgoncu/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
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