Rangers defender Ridvan Yilmaz is close to missing out on a move to Serie A with Hellas Verona expected to welcome Sporting Lisbon man Ruben Vinagre to Italy for medical tests imminently
With Borna Barisic out of contract in July and Ridvan Yilmaz likely to depart at some point in the near future, Philippe Clement has made no secret of the fact that Rangers will likely be prioritising reinforcements in the left-back spot.
But exactly when the Glasgow giants step up their interest in, say, a Gijs Smal, a Fredrik Oppegard or a Cameron Pring depends largely on where Yilmaz finds himself when February rolls around.
Ridvan Yilmaz’s Rangers future uncertain
This time last week, a January departure appeared inevitable for the £3.5 million signing from Besiktas. Seven days on, things no longer seem quite so certain. Yilmaz still has interest from Turkey but discussions are maybe not progressing as quickly as had been expected. Hellas Verona, meanwhile, are on the verge of signing another left-sided full-back having shown an interest in Yilmaz earlier in the window.
Tuttomercatoweb say that Ruben Vinagre, currently on loan at Hull City from Sporting Lisbon, has a medical scheduled in Italy for today. Sporting have given the deal the green light, with the former Wolves and Everton youngster cutting short his disappointing spell on Humberside (Alfredo Pedulla).
But where does this leave Yilmaz, apart from at Ibrox obviously?
Serie A switch appears off
“We will see what’s going to happen,” Clement said at his Friday press conference. “(Those exit-linked players also) need to show they really want to be here the next couple of months.
“We need to be prepared for everything, for every position also, that if something happens we have solutions.
“(Left-back) is one position that we have two players. One is (at the) end of his contract, and the other one there is a lot of rumours around. So, it’s clear that we need to be ready for that position to have solutions.”
In addition to Gijs, Oppegard and Pring, Rangers had also shown an interest in Owen Beck, Kai Wagner and Josh Doig, though none of the three appear likely to end up at Ibrox before the window closes.
Doig, who made his name at Hibernian, is joining Sassuolo for around £5 million.
