Turkish giants Galatasaray are set to begin “official contacts” with Rangers over the transfer of Ridvan Yilmaz, according to reports coming out of the country.
According to a discussion on Tivibu Spor, which is a sports broadcasting company in Turkey, Galatasaray are targeting a move for the 22-year-old former Besiktas left-back.
In a tweet sent out to their 200k followers, the channel clipped a discussion surrounding Ridvan Yilmaz and alleged Galatasaray interest in the player.
Captioning the post “Ridvan Yilmaz on the way to Galatasaray”, they quote Turkish journalist Metin Karabas – who is the Galatasaray correspondent for Turkish outlet Fanatik – as saying “official contacts” with Rangers “will begin in a very short time.”
Is Galatasaray move Ridvan Yilmaz realistic?
The claims come with Yilmaz only just getting a consistent run of games in the Rangers team; the young Turkish international’s first season complicated by adjusting to Glasgow and a series of big injuries.
It is not the first time the left-back has been linked with a return to Turkey, with former manager Giovanni van Bronckhorst refuting Yilmaz exit links earlier in the season.
Rangers agreed an initial £3.4m deal to sign Yilmaz to Besiktas in the summer, with the fee set to rise to £5m dependent on a series of achievable add-ons.
While the wing-back’s first season in Scotland hasn’t been without complications, he is beginning to enjoy life in the city and an extended run in the first-team.
Rangers fans don’t expect to start seeing the best of Yilmaz until next season, but the young left-back looks settled going by his recent social media activity.
Given the outlay and reputation attached to the six-capped Turkey international, Rangers fans want to see what he can bring to the team with a full pre-season under his belt and a year in Glasgow.
While Galatasaray may well be interested in Yilmaz, unless a big offer arrives, it appears unlikely that the wing-back will return to the country or that Rangers will do business.
Turkish media also love talking up juicy stories in the press so, while there is plenty of chatter around this, something tells us Ridvan is set to be Rangers’ first-choice left-back next season.
In total, Yilmaz has only made 14 appearances in his first season at Rangers, with the player contracted to the club until 2027.