Rangers have now officially missed out on Josh Doig as the former Hibernian left-back secures £5 million move from Hellas Verona to Serie A rivals Sassuolo.
So that’s another left-back down, then.
With Borna Barisic out of contract and Ridvan Yilmaz likely to depart sooner rather than later, Philippe Clement has made no secret of the fact that a replacement will be required at Ibrox. Finding one, however, is proving to be easier said than done.
Liverpool, due to injuries to Andy Robertson and Kostas Tsimikas, re-called Owen Beck from his loan at Dundee before blocking an enquiry from Rangers. Kai Wagner signed a new contract at MLS outfit Philadelphia Union.
Josh Doig, meanwhile, is now officially a Sassuolo player, the Neroverdi completing a £5 million deal to bring in the Edinburgh-born 21-year-old from relegation threatened Hellas Verona.
Rangers miss out on Josh Doig to Sassuolo
“Hellas Verona FC announces that it has sold to Sassuolo – definitively – the right to the sporting services of the Scottish defender Josh Doig,” reads a statement on the Gialloblu website.
“Hellas Verona FC thanks Josh, wishing him the best satisfaction for the continuation of his sporting career.”
Doig, who made his name at Hibs, is the latest up-and-coming Scot to take his career to a new level in Italy, following in the footsteps of ex-Aberdeen midfielder Lewis Ferguson. Lewis Hickey too, now at Brentford after a spell at Bologna.
Ironically, Ridvan Yilmaz had been identified by Hellas as a potential replacement for Doig. That move looks dead, however, as the Verona-based outfit close in on Sporting Lisbon’s Ruben Vinagre instead.
Ridvan Yilmaz could still leave Ibrox
Rangers, meanwhile, may now be tempted to step up their interest in a number of alternative left-back targets, such as Gijs Smal of FC Twente for instance (Daily Record). Smal, like Barisic, will be a free-agent in July. He also topped the Eredivisie’s assist charts last season.
“I think Smal thought he would get away in the summer. But there was almost no interest in him,” FC Twente reporter Leon ten Voorde explains to De Ballen Verstand.
“On the one hand, that is very striking, because he is an excellent player in the Eredivisie. He provided ten assists last year. Then, you should be able to (get a move) away with a one-year contract at FC Twente. But that somehow didn’t work out.
“He was also injured in August and that of course also played a role. I think Smal is now also starting to think; ‘If clubs are going to come, which ones will they be?’”
