Ibrox chiefs react to ‘Cheeky’ Galatasaray bid for Ridvan Yilmaz transfer at Rangers
Rangers chiefs quickly rebuffed a “cheeky” bid from Turkish giants Galatasaray in an attempt to beat Hella Verona to a January deal to sign Ridvan Yilmaz, according to the Daily Record.
The newspaper reported in their print edition [15 January, page 42] that a loan-to-buy offer was made which would have seen Rangers recoup the £3.4million fee they paid to bring Yilmaz to Ibrox in 2022.
Galatasaray’s bid emerged amid speculation that Verona could make a move for the Turkish left-back, but Rangers chiefs were quick to reject it.
What are Rangers waiting for?
Without any context, a bid for Yilmaz which would see Rangers recoup their initial outlay to bring him to Ibrox in his entirety would be a good move, so the news that they rejected the bid out of hand comes as a shock.
However, with the need to raise money immediately as part of their own January transfer plans, the loan-to-buy deal would not have suited Rangers, as they could use any money received from the deal to invest elsewhere and would therefore need it immediately.
The bid also comes amid speculation that the Italian outfit Verona could make an offer for Ridvan, so by rejecting the £3.4million move, they have made their stance clear about the money they want and could tempt Verona into spending more.
It has become clear that the Glasgow club will only do a deal that suits them in January rather than rushing to get the player out of the door, despite it looking all but certain that Yilmaz’s career in Glasgow is coming to an end this month.
In other Rangers news, the club are focusing on multiple signings this month.