Ridvan Yilmaz’s future hangs in the balance as Rangers firm up their stance, seemingly unfazed by Galatasaray’s whispers of a loan deal.
Despite personal terms reportedly agreed between player and club, transfer guru Yagiz Sabuncuoglu reveals no official offer has landed at Ibrox.
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Clement, short on left-back options with Barisic’s contract expiring soon, wants Yilmaz to stay put. Rangers’ ideal scenario? Keep the Turkish prodigy past January. A hefty £4.3 million price tag, however, could change their tune.
“He rejected the offer from Galatasaray. Right now, Ridvan Yilmaz continues to play, and Philippe Clement has no desire to lose him on loan to Galatasaray. I also talked to Ridvan’s entourage, and they said, ‘We do not have an agreement with any team yet’,” Sabuncuoglu said on the Sports Digitale YouTube channel.
“Let me tell you, Galatasaray have to loan him through a compulsory purchase. For this, they do not fall below €5m. If a figure of €5m or more comes directly, they will accept his sale and let him go. But for now, Ridvan is playing.
“Ridvan is one of the professionals in the current squad who is currently on Rangers’ need list. There is a perception that they want to get rid of Ridvan but there is no such situation.
“We have mentioned the Verona transfer, let’s not forget them. If they sell their left back, they will buy Ridvan. There are reports in the foreign press about the cancellation of that transfer.”
This reluctance to sell puts Rangers in the driver’s seat. No deal as of yet with Galatasaray, coupled with Clement’s desire, strengthens their negotiating position. With Barisic leaving in the summer, losing Yilmaz now would be a defensive blow.
Additionally, as Turkish-Football have reported in the recent past Yilmaz is happy in Scotland and does not intend on returning to the Super Lig soon; especially for a rival team of Besiktas – who he rose through the youth ranks at before joining Rangers.
Yilmaz joined Rangers from Besiktas and does not want to play for a rival Istanbul side at this stage in his career. He is focused on progressing in Europe and recently broke into the team after injury troubles.