Depending on your perspective, and the size of your transfer budget, the comments made by Utrecht director Jordy Zuidam when discussing the future of some of his most-coveted players earlier this month would have elicited rather contrasting reactions.
Taylor Booth and Anastosios ‘Tosas’ Douvikas, Zuidam indicated, may cost fees in the region of £10 million this summer.
Now, as far as Booth is concerned, £10 million is the sort of fee Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag – reportedly a big fan of the silky USA international – could probably fish out the back of the Old Trafford sofas.
The nature of finances north of the border, however, dictates that eight-figure signings are about as rare as an Old Firm derby free of flashpoints. Rangers have only spent upwards of £6.5 million on a single player –
Ryan Kent – once since returning to the top-flight back in 2016.
Any hopes Rangers may have had of luring the Eredivisie’s leading marksman to Ibrox, then, could be particularly short-lived. According to TEAMtalk, Rangers are showing ‘genuine’ interest in a Greece international who’s 18 goals for FC Utrecht are more than anyone else in the Dutch first division this season.
Is Anastosios ‘Tasos’ Douvikas really an option for Rangers?
Douvikas has also been linked – albeit tentatively – with Glasgow rivals Celtic. Perhaps as part of the deal that could see Vasilis Barkas turn his Utrecht loan deal into a permanent transfer. Snatching the 23-year-old penalty-box poacher from under the noses of those in green, then, would not only be a major statement of intent, but also a signing capable of closing the gap between the two clubs at the top of the Premiership table.
Alfredo Morelos has gone. Antonio Colak too, potentially. Kemar Roofe, meanwhile, is not the same player as a few years ago, injuries taking their toll. In Douvikas, Rangers would be signing a striker who, should he seal the Eredivisie’s Golden Boot award, will find himself alongside the likes of Ruud van Nistelrooy, Luis Suarez and Klaas-Jan Huntelaar in the Dutch voetbal history books.
But, at the risk of raining on this proverbial parade, did Zuidam rule out a move to Ibrox for his star striker before the rumours even began?
“I know that there is a lot of interest from players like Douvikas,” the director said a fortnight ago. “If we want to keep the club healthy, we have to make transfers.
“We aim to (bring in) about 12 million euros.”
Just too expensive?
Or, if you prefer, £10 million. A fee that would make Douvikas the most expensive Rangers signing since Tore Andre Flo arrived from Chelsea. And that was nearly a quarter of a century ago.
Even with the benefits of Champions League qualification, and the riches this provides, Rangers are unlikely to be in a position to spend £10 million on one player during a summer in which so many other areas are ripe for reinforcement.
“I don’t want to think about (a transfer) at the moment,” Douvikas told RTV recently. “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.”