Standard Liege coach Ivan Leko appears to have put an end to those Steven Alzate to Rangers rumours while claiming that a January transfer ‘no longer seems relevant’ for the Brighton and Hove Albion loanee.
With his Seagulls contract expiring this summer, Brighton were understandably keen to drum up interest during the mid-season window.
Reports linking Philippe Clement’s Scottish Premiership with Steven Alzate, then, appear to have been driven by Brighton’s camp rather than Rangers’.
Belgian reporter Sacha Tavolieri, explaining the situation on X, claims that Brighton offered Alzate to Rangers, rather than the other way around. And with the Glasgow giants deciding against midfield reinforcements for the time being, Alzate is not a ‘priority’ for a club currently pursuing left-backs and attackers.
Rangers unlikely to sign Brighton’s Steven Alzate
The £7 million-rated Alzate has been on loan at Standard Liege since 2022. He is due to stay there for the remainder of the current campaign. Head coach Ivan Leko, meanwhile, is delighted to learn that Rangers will not be taking Brighton’s bait, the Camden-born playmaker now expected to stay in Belgium until he becomes a free-agent in seven months’ time.
“His club (Brighton) had touches to sell him,” Leko tells La Derniere Heure. “But that no longer seems relevant. So, yes, I hope Steven will still be here on February 1st.
“He had a nasty injury. And we will do everything with the medical staff to get him ready as soon as possible. Saturday’s match may be coming a little quickly (for Alzate’s return).”
Philippe Clement wants a left-back
Rangers have also been offered the chance to sign another Premier League forgotten man, Tavolieri reports. Emmanuel Dennis, Nottingham Forest’s £20 million misfit, worked with Clement at Club Brugge and would be keen on a reunion.
For now, however, the focus is on the left-back spot. Clement has confirmed that, should Ridvan Yilmaz leave for a club in Italy or Turkey, Rangers will prioritise a replacement.
