Galatasaray have reportedly reached an agreement to sign Hannover’s Derrick Kohn in a deal that will bring an end to the speculation surrounding Ridvan Yilmaz’s Rangers future.
In the aftermath of Tuesday night’s 4-2 victory over Bandirmaspor in the Turkish Cup, Galatasaray coach Okan Buruk once again spoke about his desire to bring a new left-back to Istanbul before the window closes on February 9th.
But, after weeks of speculation, it appears that Ridvan Yilmaz will not be on his way back home. Well, not just yet, anyway.
Galatasaray were still in talks with the former Besiktas leftie as recently as last week – a £2 million gap between the fee they wanted to pay and the fee Rangers were demanding – but now appear to have turned their attention to an alternative.
Galatasaray move looks dead for Ridvan Yilmaz
Sporx now say that Derrick Kohn, a left-sided full-back who plays in Germany for second-tier Hannover, will travel to Istanbul tonight. Galatasaray have agreed a deal, with Kohn arriving on loan with a £3 million purchase clause in his contract. A number of rival Turkish publications also back up Sporx’s claims.
The 2-1 midweek win over Aberdeen, then, will not be Yilmaz’s final appearance in Rangers colours after all.
The diminutive defensive southpaw has been one of the bright sparks of the Philippe Clement era at Ibrox, his dynamic, all-action display against Neil Warnock’s Dons typical of a man who has been keeping Borna Barisic out of the XI recently.
Impressive in latest Rangers win
One player who could still leave Ibrox outside of the Scottish transfer window, however, is Jose Cifuentes.
The £1.2 million summer signing from LAFC – so underwhelming during his short-lived spell in Glasgow – looks set to move back across the Atlantic with Cruzeiro, even if the Brazilian club’s head coach was reluctant to give much away when asked to comment on the Cifuentes deal a few days ago.
