Anastosios ‘Tasos’ Douvikas is expected to play his final Eredivisie game for FC Utrecht this weekend with Rangers just one of the clubs keen on the £6 million-rated centre-forward.
It’s fair to say the list of Eredivisie Golden Boot winners is, well, a bit of a mixed bag.
Yes, you’ve got Sebastien Haller, Memphis Depay, Luis Suarez, Klaas Jan Huntelaar and Ruud van Nistelrooy. But then also Nicolai Jorgensen, Afonso Alves, Alireza Jahanbakhsh and Matija Kezman. Strikers who, while prolific in the Netherlands, struggled for goals elsewhere.
Which side of the line will Tasos Douvikas fall, amid claims that Rangers have joined a whole host of clubs inside and outside of Dutch football for the Greek international’s highly sought-after signature?
Is Anastosios Douvikas on his way to Rangers?
According to TEAMtalk, Rangers’ interest in 23-year-old Douvikas is ‘genuine’.
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Utrecht chief Jordy Zuidam had indicated that a fee of around £10 million would be required, though recent reports suggest that £6 million could do the trick. A fee which could be beyond Rangers’ means, given the extent of the rebuild required at Ibrox this summer.
Douvikas’ outstanding goals-per-minute ratio, however, may encourage Mick Beale to go all-in on a man who could act as a superb replacement for the departing Alfredo Morelos.
According to the Algemeen Dagblad, Douvikas is likely to make his farewell Eredivisie appearance against FC Emmen on Sunday, although Utrecht do have the Europa League play-offs to look forward to before the season comes to an end.
Douvikas is currently in pole position for the Golden Boot with 18 goals to his name. Though PSV wonderkid Xavi Simons – reportedly a target for Giovanni van Bronckhorst during the summer of 2022 – could still overtake him with a final day brace.
‘A lot of interest’
“I know that there is a lot of interest from players like Douvikas,” Zuidam admitted a fortnight ago; team-mate Taylor Booth reportedly attracting admiring glances from Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag.
“If we want to keep the club healthy, we have to make transfers.”
Rangers, meanwhile, need only look across the city to see the value that can be found in the Dutch market. While not a regular starter under Ange Postecoglou, former VVV Venlo talisman Giorgios Giakoumakis still scored 26 goals in one-and-a-half seasons before leaving Celtic for the MLS.
“I don’t want to think about (a transfer) at the moment,” Douvikas told RTV earlier this month. “I’ll only make a decision after the season. I really don’t know if I will leave Utrecht this summer, I mean that.”
“If there isn’t a club where I would like to go, I might stay. I don’t have a preference for a competition, but I would like to play in the Premier League one day.
“I don’t know if a club from England has already contacted my agent.”