Rangers swap-deal mooted in January transfer to get rid of Ridvan Yilmaz at Ibrox
We’re delighted to welcome former Ibrox star Derek Ferguson as our exclusive Rangers columnist as each week he’ll be giving his views on the biggest talking points in Govan…
Rangers should look into any possibility, even a “swap deal”, to move “weak point” Ridvan Yilmaz on during the January transfer window, Derek Ferguson has said.
The 22-year-old full-back has struggled for consistency since moving to Ibrox in July 2022 and his representatives have held talks with Serie A clubs Torino and Verona about a January exit away from Rangers, according to Turkish journalist Yagiz Sabuncuoglu (10 January).
Previously, it was reported that Yilmaz has been the subject of an approach from Turkish giants Galatasaray over a loan move this month, according to HITC.
There are also doubts over the long-term future of Borna Barisic at Rangers with Philippe Clement reportedly looking at reinforcements, with Josh Doig and Gijs Smal said to be being tracked.
For former Rangers man Ferguson, Yilmaz would not be a big miss at Ibrox as he just has not consistently produced the goods during his time in Glasgow.
Speaking to Ibrox News, he said: “He had a good game (against Kilmarnock) but one good game in a year and a half is not good enough.
“You can see he’s got a wee bit in terms of going forward, but I think he would be a weak point if you at him at set-pieces, I mean he’s a defender he’s only about 5’7′.
“Is he quite good going forward? Yep. Is he quite pacy? Yep. Has he got a decent delivery? Yep. Is it better than Barisic’s delivery? I don’t think so.
“It was about three or four games ago he was playing and there was a free-kick or corner and he was actually put up top like a striker would. As a defender, your job is to defend, yet he’s not even in the box.
“I think everyone’s getting too excited because he’s had a couple of decent games. That’s not good enough, he’s been at the club since July 2022, so God Almighty, how long do you want to settle?
“He’s done okay the last few games but if we could get some money back for him, even a swap deal, I would take that with Yilmaz.”
In other Rangers news, a crucial meeting took place on Wednesday over a “shock” transfer.