{{primary_category}}
{{/primary_category}} 
Philippe Clement transformation at Rangers reinforced as Ridvan Yilmaz makes transfer exit decision
Philippe Clement’s transformation at Ibrox has been further reinforced with rejuvenated left-back Ridvan Yilmaz refusing the chance to quit Rangers in the January window.
Turkish newspaper Sozcu reported on Thursday (16 November) that Turkish giants Galatasaray have enquired about what it will take to prize Yilmaz away from Glasgow in the winter window as they look to strengthen their arsenal by adding “local stars” to the squad.
Yilmaz has emerged as a top candidate for the Turkish Super Lig joint leaders, however, it’s been reported that the 22-year-old is “not keen” on a return to his native country despite the fact that he could be persuaded by the lure of Champions League football.
Yilmaz joined from Besiktas last summer in a deal worth around £3.5m, but due to his struggles with injuries in his debut campaign, he largely found himself behind Borna Barisic in the pecking order.
He came close to leaving Rangers over the summer after several interest from clubs in his native Turkey.
Turkish-Football.com reported on (29 July), that the 22-year-old had rejected approaches from Besiktas and Fenerbache with the full-back intent on making a name for himself at Ibrox, but still, after over a year from his £5m move, he’s still struggling to convince the Rangers faithful.
The 22-year-old left-back only managed just 13 appearances all season at Ibrox last season but has enjoyed something of a renaissance under new manager Clement, starting four of the Belgian’s seven games where they’ve tasted six wins so far in a massive transformation at Ibrox, since Michael Beale’s sacking.
It’s unlikely that Rangers are going to be too keen to offload Yilmaz unless they receive a reasonable fee to allow him to make the return to Turkey.
Although he is currently the backup option to Borna Barisic, he could be in line for minutes at Ibrox before too long as the 31-year-old isn’t getting any younger.
A key factor will probably come down to whether the Turkish international is willing to bide his time and wait for his opportunity in the first team to come on a consistent basis.
However, his decision to remain at Rangers is pretty much cut and dry and a key factor in that decision is Clement’s massive transformation at Ibrox which seems to have unlocked every since player in the dressing room, especially Yilmaz.
With six weeks still to go until the January transfer window, the situation could still change dramatically but for now, Yilmaz sees himself as every bit a Rangers player a dramatic turnaround from the continued exit opportunities during the summer.
In other Rangers news, Chris Sutton has raged about a controversial incident in the Gers’ game against Livingston.