Rangers 'right to stand their ground' as high demands emerge for Dessers sale

Cyriel Dessers has found himself in the centre of 'will he or won't he' saga at Rangers.

Rangers are open to selling Dessers at the right price, even though he fired in 21 goals across all competitions this season.

However, it seems that rival clubs are struggling to agree on an appropriate fee for his services.

AEK Athens unwilling to pay £5.1m asking price for Dessers

AEK Athens have emerged as the favourites to buy Dessers.

The Greek side have been linked with a move for the 30-year-old forward for a while, although there has been no news of an official bid.

Now, a report from Greek news outlet Monobala (15 June) suggests that 13-time Greek league winners AEK are unwilling to pay the £5.1million asking price that Rangers have supposedly slapped on their striker.

The report suggests that AEK are ready to go all out for Dessers, but see Rangers' demands as being too high at this stage.

The transfer window reopens on Monday (16 June), having temporarily closed for six days.

Rangers are right to stand their ground in Dessers negotiations

Rangers are entering these transfer negotiations from a position of strength.

Dessers has been banging in the goals in the Scottish Premiership, although some fans believe that he's wasteful in front of goal. He still has two years remaining on his contract.

What's more, Rangers have a new manager in Russell Martin, who may well be able to improve the striker's performances.

So, there's no reason for the club to back down over their £5.1m valuation. If AEK Athens don't want to pay that fee, there may well be another club that does.

Alternatively, it could be that Dessers remains at Ibrox, either as a squad player or as a starting striker who fires in another 20+ goals.

Rangers aren't desperate to sell, and that bodes well for the Glasgow club.

There's no reason to sell at a reduced rate. If they do let the Nigerian go, they'll want to make sure they receive enough funds to purchase a suitable replacement.