Rangers to receive Europa League boost as Luiz Felipe exit news emerges at Real Betis
Rangers have had a very, very tough time of it lately so any boost they can receive is sure to be welcome.
Michael Beale saw his side beaten 1-0 by fierce rivals Celtic in the first Old Firm derby of the season at Ibrox on Sunday (3 September).
That limp performance, which saw Kemar Roofe controversially have a goal ruled out after a VAR check, followed on from a 5-1 battering at the hands of PSV in the second leg of their Champions League play-off tie.
Rangers consequently exited the competition 7-3 on aggregate and will now be playing Europa League football this term instead of mixing it in Europe’s premier competition.
LaLiga side Real Betis join Rangers alongside Aris Limassol and Sparta Prague in Group C and it is the former of those teams who could provide the Gers with a much-needed boost ahead of their meeting on 21 September.
According to Estadio Deportivo, Betis are on the verge of selling defender Luiz Felipe to Saudi Pro League side Al Ittihad for a fee of £18.9million (€22m).
The 26-year-old only made the switch to Betis a year ago, but is seemingly about to become the latest player to make the lucrative switch to Saudi Arabia.
It was reported by Estadio Deportivo that Real Madrid legend Sergio Ramos was the chief target for Al Ittihad before he decided to rejoin boyhood club Sevilla having seen his contract expire with Ligue 1 champions Paris Saint-Germain.
With Rangers out of sorts, and their new-look frontline struggling to click fully into gear, they need to count any blessing they receive right now. Well, they might just have received one with this latest transfer update.
In other Rangers news, Birmingham City are lining up Wayne Rooney to take over as manager if the Gers opt to move for John Eustace.