Rangers linked midfielder Niklas Dorsch has signed for Belgian top-flight club Gent on a long-term contract.
The 22-year-old had been tipped for a move away from FC Heidenheim for some time and now, just a few weeks after the club missed out on promotion to the Bundesliga via the play-offs, he’s sealed his exit.
Dorsch is one of several central midfielders said to have been interesting Rangers over recent months.
The former Bayern Munich player was most recently linked with a switch to Ibrox by German publication InFranken, who claimed both the Gers and Hamburg were interested in snapping him up for a reduced price amid the global health crisis.
However, it’s now clear that he won’t be donning a Rangers strip for the foreseeable future.
On Thursday afternoon, Gent officially announced Dorsch’s signing on a four-year contract.
There is no mention of the transfer fee in the club’s release, but chief scout Tim Matthys raved about the former Germany youth international, labelling him a “technically very skilled player” who “combines this with a good dose of healthy aggressiveness in ball loss” [KAA Gent].
Gent finished second in the curtailed 2019/20 Belgian Pro League season and as a result, have gained entry to the third round of Champions League qualifying.
Rangers’ search for a dynamic midfielder continues, then, with Bongani Zungu now perhaps the most likely to end up at Ibrox.
The Scotsman reported last week that the Gers had opened talks with 27-year-old South African international who is being valued at just under £4 million, while Assistant Manager, Gary McAllister, admitted he’s on the club’s radar [Glasgow Times].