John Lundstram to sign Rangers exit deal despite Philippe Clement comments on Ibrox love
John Lundstram will put pen to paper on his deal to leave Rangers for Trabzonspor once the season concludes, according to Sabah Spor.
The Turkish outlet reported Yunus Emre Sel’s update via Twitter (26 April) that the English midfielder’s exit from Ibrox has been agreed in principal with the official signing to come within weeks.
Philippe Clement had just indicated earlier the same day that he hoped the 30-year-old would stay at the club he loves.
But Trabzonspor has seemingly reached agreements with both Lundstram and full-back Borna Barisic to sign both this summer.
Clement had earlier said [via Football Scotland, 26 April]: “There have been offers from the club, there’s no agreement yet that’s the only thing I can say for the moment. I hope that he stays. I know he loves the club and loves to be here. It depends what you can offer as a club and what other clubs offer in this situation.
“That’s why I don’t like that important players are out of contract. We’ve talked about it a few times. I don’t think it’s a good thing for a club but it’s something that will never happen again in the period that I’m here.”
John Lundstram set to leave Rangers after three seasons
Clement sounded less certain earlier on Friday than he had a month earlier when he expressed his “total” confidence in a new Rangers deal materialising, and it seems he may have had an idea that an exit was now on the cards.
Up to around six weeks ago it seemed an obvious extension to do with the former Sheffield United man seemingly indispensable to the manager and starting virtually every game.
Clement himself may still feel that way but after an alarming dip in form there might be less disappointment elsewhere with the news of an exit.
It is admittedly could cost a significant amount to bring in a new starting-calibre midfield option this summer, with Ryan Jack also likely to leave and Nico Raskin’s standing at the club having dropped significantly since last season.
But since contract talks with Lundstram have been going on since at least January [Daily Record, 20 January] without reaching agreement it would appear there has been a difference of opinion on the terms behind the scenes.
And if the club potentially deemed the 30-year-old’s expectations unaffordable when he was playing well and the team were beating all-comers through the early part of 2024 then they would surely have only become more convinced of that stance once the title race faltered and the midfield regular’s form fell away.
In other Rangers news, the Light Blues have been told to sign an “excellent” exit-bound ace who plays Lundstram’s position while the opportunity is available.
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