Cyriel Dessers ‘favourite’ for last-gasp Rangers exit as loan deal all but done
Cagliari have made Rangers striker Cyriel Dessers their number one target for the rest of the winter transfer window, according to Rai News.
The Italian news outlet reported via their website on Friday (31 January) that Gianluca Lapadula is set to leave them to join Spezia on loan for the rest of the season.
It is understood that Peruvian striker Lapadula, 34, is one if the highest-earning players at Cagliari so while he will leave them in the summer when his contract expires, his loan move to Serie B high-flyers Spezia will free up funds in Sardinia.
Cagliari’s sporting director Nereo Bonata has made Dessers, 30, his “favourite” option to replace Lapadula. However, it looks as though the Gers will price the Italians out of any move for the Nigeria striker after qualifying for the Europa League last-16.
Rangers stand firm as Cagliari loan deal close to completion
According to Rai News, Lapadula is “very close” to signing for Spezia and Cagliaria’s efforts to sign a replacement are “intensifying more and more in” recent hours.
And while they’ll have plenty of funds freed up to sign Dessers, it doesn’t seem like it’ll be enough to convince the Light Blues to let him go.
Dessers has another two and a half years left on his contract, so there’s no need to get rid of him from that point of view.
However, his performance have blown hot and cold on the pitch with the ex-Utrecht and Feyenoord forward seeming to score the incredible goals and miss the easy chances.
This season he’s scored 18 goals and supplied six assists in 36 appearances across all competitions. Looking purely at his goalscoring record, you’d wonder why he gets as much criticism as he does.
Overall, he’s averaged almost a goal every other game for the Light Blues since arriving in July 2023.
Rangers should keep him for the season though because they’ll otherwise have to sign a replacement and with the window shutting on Monday night (3 February), there’s no need to put themselves in that frantic situation.
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