Rangers have been busy so far despite the transfer window only just opening on Friday the 14th of June.
Leon Balogun has extended his stay, Oscar Cortes has been confirmed and Clinton Nsiala has turned down AC Milan to make the move to Glasgow.
Several other irons are in the fire with Rangers reported interest in Nathaniel Adjei taking an unexpected twist.
Rangers target Nathaniel Adjei in transfer option confusion
The 14th of June was a significant date for another reason, it was the deadline for Lorient to take up their option to buy for Adjei after his loan spell from Swedish outfit Hammarby.
According to Expressen journalist Anel Avdic, Lorient have activated the clause in the final hours:
“It goes away in the silly jungle. Lorient FC have decided to activate the option and buy Nathaniel Adjei from Hammarby IF, making their most expensive player sale of all time. The green and whites get 65 million + a bonus package worth 17 million.”
The figures Avdic is talking about are Krona, the Swedish currency, which brings the price tag to around £4.8m for the initial payment.
However, the plot thickens.
No French media outlets are reporting the deal and a quick look on Get French Football News on X also draws a blank.
If it was happening, it would be on GFFN.
The only reports involving Lorient in the French media are about them having to downsize due to financial difficulties exacerbated by relegation from Ligue 1.
This doesn’t sound like the type of club about to pay nearly £5m for a player.
Rangers should push the boat out for Adjei
Adjei is worth every penny of this sort of fee.
Similar to Virgil van Dijk in terms of style of play, his physical presence betrays how good a footballer he actually is.
Lorient’s manager, Regis le Bris, was full of praise for Adjei including compliments on the towering defender’s leadership and communication skills despite not speaking a word of French.
Nils Koppen has to be creative this summer and being creative, like the loan-to-buy deal for Cortes is a great way to complete a rebuild for the long-term on a budget.
It might be that only a handful of players command fees this summer wih the standout targets so far being Adjei and Albion Rrahmani.
At £5m each, both would be expected to make an immediate impression in the starting XI whilst also, potentially, making the club money in the future.
The deadline has passed and there has been no official confirmation from Lorient, maybe Koppen has pulled off the same masterstroke that he did with Connor Barron.
