We have significant developments on two possible targets for the three wingers the Ibrox team is searching for.
The rumoured target Jesurun Rak-Sakyi appears to no longer be desired by Birmingham City, giving Rangers a significant boost in their search for a new winger.
Conor Coady and Nasser Djiga are centre backs that Russell Martin is pursuing agreements for, but all indications point to him trying to bolster his wide parts of the defence after that.
With Oscar Cortes, Ross McCausland, and the injured Rabbi Matondo the only natural wingers in his squad right now, it almost seemed as though the new manager was highlighting his severe lack of options in those areas by having 18-year-old wide player Findlay Curtis be the only player to complete the 90 minutes against Club Brugge.
But it looks as if that’s going to change. And soon.
Reports over the weekend put Rak-Sakyi firmly on the radar after he returned to Crystal Palace following an impressive loan spell at Sheffield United last season.
He’s had plenty of interest within the EFL, with his former side United as well as Southampton and Birmingham all credited with keeping tabs on the 22-year-old.
However, it appears that the latter of those choices is no longer a possibility. They have now added Demarai Grai, Bright Osayi-Samuel, and Kanya Fujimoto, who are direct competitors in terms of position, since solid connections surfaced last month. Additionally, they have spent a significant portion of their budget on Kyogo.
That at least narrows the field, and if the player is open to moving to Scotland, a possible loan with a buyout option later on seems like a wise choice, even though Palace’s estimated £10 million asking price seems high for Rangers’ needs.
Another potential wide alternative on the table is highly-rated Maccabi tel Aviv man Wessley Patati.
The ‘Brazilian Magician’, as he’s affectionately known by fans over there, had been rated at €10m (£8.6m) in recent reports in the South American media but that appears to have overshot the mark and then some.
Now, EOL Esporte are claiming that AZ Alkmaar have had a €3.5m (£3m) bid rejected for his services – but that Maccabi are chasing a fee of just €5m (£4.3m).
That new price tag puts him right in the range Rangers would be looking for, and makes a double deal for him and his club teammate Dor Turgeman look financially realistic – especially if Hamza Igamane does end up sealing a £15m exit to Lille.
Russell Martin though played that one down following the 2-2 draw with Club Brugge and suggested he’ll have a role to play at Ibrox until things ramp up.
After the Moroccan sat out of the Ibrox friendly, in which Danilo led the line from the start, Martin said: “Hamza’s (absence) has just been a bit of a red tape. He was due back this week with the other international players.
They simply lacked the proper visa when he was at the airport. I don’t believe anyone is to blame. Since he last received his visa, things have changed. He should have a new one tomorrow, so we had to wait for him to obtain one. He will be joining us this week.
“As far as I am aware, I have not heard of any bids.”
