Rangers will need to pay £5 million if they plan to renew their interest in Galatasaray misfit and Serie B loanee Olimpiu Morutan during the summer transfer window.
It is no secret that the Romanian speed-freak is not part of the long-term plans at the Turkish Super Lig leaders.
Morutan fell out of favour in Istanbul, joining Pisa SC on loan last summer. To his credit, the 23-year-old has made such an impact in his new Italian home that Galatasaray could end up making a tidy profit on a man who never really lived up to lofty expectations following that £3 million move from FCSB.
At just 5ft 8ins, it would be a stretch to suggest Morutan is the new ‘Tower of Pisa’. But he’s certainly a towering presence at the Tuscany outfit.
Morutan has reportedly skipped and slalomed his way onto Atalanta’s summer wishlist. Pisa, meanwhile, have an option-to-buy clause in the winger’s contract, though any hopes of a permanent deal may have declined considerably following a dip in form which threatens to scupper their lingering promotion hopes.
Will Rangers renew their interest in Olimpiu Morutan?
“The price-tag is known. It’s 5.5 million euros (around £5 million),” Morutan’s agent, Ioan Becali, tells La Nazione.
“As far as I know, the managers of Galatasaray were at the Arena Garibaldi (Pisa’s stadium) during Pisa vs Cagliari. I don’t know what the clubs said. We will find out in the next few days.”
Rangers reportedly failed with a loan bid for 23-year-old Morutan at the start of 2022. The Glasgow giants will be in the market for attacking additions this summer too, a winger high on their radar with Ryan Kent’s Ibrox exit looking increasingly inevitable.
Morutan, like Aris’ Honduran whizzkid Luis Palma, would bring searing pace and impressive end-product to the blue side of Glasgow. Across 31 games in Pisa colours, Morutan has scored six goals and provided seven assists, though comparisons with a young Lionel Messi still feel a little over the top.
It is not just Atalanta and Rangers who have been impressed by Morutan’s blistering, blink-and-you’ll-miss-it approach to wing play either.
“Morutan is surprising only those who didn’t know him,” Pisa president Giovanni Corrado tells La Repubblica. “I met Andrea Pirlo who coaches in Turkey (with Fatih Karagumruk). And he told me that we had signed a phenomenon.”
