Rangers’ Danilho Doekhi transfer rivals Union Berlin have narrowly missed out on a Champions League place on the final day of the Bundesliga season.
The German outfit have enjoyed a meteoric rise in recent campaigns but couldn’t secure their first foray into Europe’s elite competition after an impressive season.
Despite Taiwo Awoniyi scoring a late winner in the thrilling 3-2 victory over VfL Bochum, the side missed out on Champions League football by a single point.
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This is after Rangers’ Europa League semi-final rivals RB Leipzig secured a spot in the competition by earning a late draw against Arminia Bielefeld.
Willi Orban scored a 93rd minute equaliser to save RB Leipzig’s blushes and secure a spot in the elite competition, which is worth millions to its entrants.
Union Berlin miss out on Champions League amid links to Rangers target Doekhi
Reports in Scotland claim qualification for the Champions League group stage is worth anything up to £40m to clubs and this is a sizeable chunk of change for any team.
It’s not clear if this will have any bearing on Union Berlin’s reported pursuit of Danilho Doekhi, but the report suggested their progress into Europe was a big attraction.
The club will now drop into the Europa League – a noble competition for any side with its own financial benefits – but they will be bitterly disappointed by that late RB Leipzig goal.
Attention will now turn to Rangers and Eintracht Frankfurt this week with the winner of the Europa League Final being guaranteed a spot in pot 1 of the Champions League.
Perhaps this could be a defining factor in the pursuit of Danilho Doekhi, with Union Berlin said to be initially pipping Rangers in a two horse race to the Vitesse Arnhem centre-back’s signature.
Meanwhile, an undercover Rangers fan was spotted behind enemy lines as the curtain came down on Frankfurt’s domestic season.