In an apparent transfer blow for Rangers, Alhassan Yusuf has agreed a four-year deal at Royal Antwerp and is due to undergo a medical today (Monday).
Rangers were first linked with Yusuf earlier this month when SCORENigeria reported that both the Light Blues and Brentford had contacted IFK Goteborg about the midfielder.
Wolves and Sheffield United had also previously been credited with interest and with the player entering the final year of his contract in Sweden, it was asserted that his asking price was somewhere between €3m (£2.6m) and €4m (£3.4m).
However, just a few days later, Fabrizio Romano claimed that Royal Antwerp were set to win the race for his signature, for a smaller fee of around €1.5m (£1.3m) [Voetbal Primeur].
Then, over the weekend, there was an official update, with Royal Antwerp confirming that an agreement had been struck which would see the 20-year-old move to Belgium.
It was asserted that he would undergo a medical on Monday and, should everything go smoothly, he would join The Great Old on a four-year deal.
This is possibly a blow for the Gers, given that they allegedly made contact with Goteborg regarding Yusuf, which suggests that their interest may have been concrete.
If the transfer fee of £1.3m reported by Romano is accurate, too, the player was very much affordable and Steven Gerrard is a little light on options in midfield right now, despite the recent signing of John Lundstram.
Ryan Jack is yet to feature in pre-season as he continues to work his way back to fitness following surgery, while Nnamdi Oforborh has been ruled out in the short term after a ‘red flag’ was spotted in a recent ECG.
The potential heart issue is a major blow for one of Rangers’ new recruits and he’s responded to the revelation on Instagram.