Feyenoord have confirmed the departure of striker Naoufal Bannis who heads to Qatar with Rangers still hoping to raid the De Kuip club for Brazilian forward Danilo.
Former Dutch youth international Naoufal Bannis, 21, has joined Qatari Stars League side Al-Markhiya as yet another player heads out to the Middle East.
Although the forward, who is also eligible for Morocco, is not considered a key first-team player, Bannis came through the youth ranks at Feyenoord and made 22 appearances for the top team.
The transfer comes after Bannis spent last season on loan at FC Eindhoven in the Eerste Divisie and the youngster will now move to Qatar ahead of next season.
Rangers remain strongly linked with a return for Feyenoord striker Danilo, for whom the club reportedly had an opening bid rejected earlier in the summer.
The striker himself has been hinting towards Rangers on social media and it does appear like the 24-year-old Eredivisie Champion is a legitimate target for the Ibrox side.
The likes of the Daily Record have valued the striker at £6m.
Danilo and Gimenez to follow striker Naoufal Bannis out of Feyenoord?
Danilo isn’t the only Feyenoord striker being linked with an exit, with Manchester United also being heavily mentioned alongside Mexico striker Santiago Giménez.
Feyenoord manager Arne Slot has been urging the club’s hierarchy to invest in the playing squad this summer or risk going backwards after lifting the Eredivisie title and qualifying for the Champions League.
This comes with several high profile players finishing their loan moves and Turkish midfielder Orkan Kokcu already leaving the club for Benfica this summer.
Now, it appears like Arne Slot is going to get his wish with reports in 1908 in the Netherlands claiming the club are tailing a trio of high profile signings this summer.
Whilst none of these are strikers, links to Croatian attacking midfielder Luka Ivanusec, FC Midtjylland attacker Gustav Isaksen and Dynamo Moscow midfielder Arsen Zakharyan will pacify the De Kuip faithful and Arne Slot for now.
However, with Naoufal Bannis exiting the club and both Rangers-linked Danilo and Mexican number 9 Santiago Gimenez also potentially set to leave, perhaps a striker will be next on the Feyenoord wishlist.
