Ridvan Yilmaz was singled out for praise by Philippe Clement heading into Rangers’ trip to Dundee.
The Turkish international left-back, 23, has been deployed on the right-hand side as injury decimates the Ibrox defence and leaves the club short in several key positions.
Philippe Clement hailed Ridvan as a ‘real positive surprise’ for standing up and being counted despite being played out of position in recent weeks.
“It is about finding solutions and that is what we have been doing the last couple of weeks,” said Clement.
“Like for example putting Ridvan at right full-back and [him] doing a really good job there.”
But given it’s January after all, the Turkish left-back has once again been subject to transfer reports in his home country as Rangers approach a crossroads with the defender.
Ridvan Yilmaz at Rangers crossroads
Rangers paid an initial £3.4m to sign Ridvan Yilmaz from Besiktas in 2022 and the transfer could rise to £5m depending on a number of add-ons.
Whilst we don’t know how many of that £1.6m has been triggered, Yilmaz has had two-and-a-half seasons at Ibrox defined by injury issues.
Whenever Ridvan Yilmaz has begun to pick up a head of steam at Rangers, the defender has broken down and spent a substantial amount of time on the sidelines.
Even this season, Yilmaz spent three months sidelined when he sustained a muscle injury following an innocuous effort at the edge of the box against Dynamo Kyiv in August.
Between time spent on the sidelines and time spent regaining match fitness, Yilmaz has been fully fit for a fraction of his time in Glasgow and it’s a source of great frustration.
Rangers defender targeted in Turkey
With the defender now back in the team, Rangers face a real dilemma when it comes to the left-back amid fresh reports Besiktas are back in for Ridvan.
According to Turkish outlet Fanatik, new Besiktas manager Serdar Topraktepe has put Ridvan Yilmaz on the Turkish club’s ‘transfer list’ this winter.
It comes after former Rangers manager Giovanni van Bronckhorst – who was also repeatedly linked to Yilmaz – was sacked by the Istanbul club in December.
It’s not a claim that Rangers will take too lightly either.
In January 2024, Ridvan Yilmaz was the subject of concrete transfer interest from Galatasaray but the Turks weren’t willing to meet Rangers’ asking price.
If Besiktas are willing to stump up for the defender, given Ridvan Yilmaz’s Rangers injury record it will certainly give the Ibrox board something to consider.
