(Credit: Imago)

Cyriel Dessers new bid to be finalised for Rangers exit as new twist emerges

Alex is a lifelong Sunderland supporter who's been reporting on Mackem News since April 2025. Indeed, he started working for Breaking Media in April and has since graduated from St Mary's University as a NCTJ Gold Standard-accredited journalist, having completed his Master's degree in Sports Journalism. Alex previously worked for Football League World and has featured on the Roker Report, providing his opinion on all things Sunderland. While getting to the games is tricky, given his job, one of the highlights of his life was watching (and crying) as the Black Cats defeated Sheffield United at Wembley Stadium last season.

Published on:

25 Jun 2025, 3:45 am

Rangers are set to get their summer transfer activity underway with Russell Martin.

Max Aarons is nearing a loan move to Rangers from AFC Bournemouth and will become the first signing of the Martin era once a deal is confirmed.

The defender will join Lyall Cameron as an Ibrox arrival, with the midfielder signing a pre-contract agreement with the Gers in February.

Now, though, there is talk of departures in Glasgow, with the future of Cyriel Dessers in question.

Aarons spent some of last season on loan with Valencia (Credit: Imago)

Rangers braced for fresh Dessers bid

Rangers have already rejected a £4.5million bid from AEK Athens for Dessers, but that has not fazed the Greek club.

The Bears signed the forward from Italian side Cremonese back in 2023 for an initial fee of £4.3million.

Dessers has a healthy record for the Glasgow club and has notched 67 goal contributions in 109 appearances.

Last season, the 30-year-old was the Ibrox club's top scorer, totalling 29 goals in all competitions.

After having their bid rejected, AEK Athens are finalising a fresh move for Dessers, according to the Daily Record (25 June, page 50).

However, the outlet claims that if no progress can be made over the next 24-to-48 hours, then the Greek club may be forced to move on from their number one target.

Cyriel Dessers stats in the Scottish Premiership for Rangers.

Dessers' stats in the league this season (Credit: Imago)

Rangers face critical Dessers exit decision

Dessers was Rangers' top goalscorer by some distance last season, hence why there is high interest in his services.

It would be easy to assume that the Bears would not want to sell their star player, but some key factors must be considered.

It has been reported that the Scottish side will have £20million to spend in the transfer market, which will only go so far.

If Rangers were to sell Dessers, they would receive around a quarter of the figure, and that could be used to fund other moves, with number nines not cheap.

At 30, there is a case that the Nigerian may not have his best years ahead of him, although his statistics suggest otherwise.

Then there is Martin. The former Southampton boss will want to build his own team and may want a different forward to lead the line.

Whatever happens, Rangers must make the correct decision on a player who has been exceptional at times at Ibrox.

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Cyriel Dessers