GLASGOW, SCOTLAND - JULY 18: A general view during the pre-season friendly match between Rangers and Newcastle at Ibrox Stadium on July 18, 2023 in Glasgow, Scotland. (Photo by Serena Taylor/Newcastle United via Getty Images)
Rangers are facing late pressure from a Turkish Super Lig club in the race to sign Bayern Munich rising star Yusuf Kabadayi after an offer was reportedly accepted for the winger.
The Germany Under-20 international has been identified as a key target for Philippe Clement as he presses on with his summer rebuild and the Belgian is still eager to address his options at the top end of the pitch, with Cyriel Dessers and Danilo regarded as the only out-and-out strikers currently on the books following the departure of Kemar Roofe.
A permanent £1million deal for Kabadayi to make the switch to Glasgow was believed to be close, but confusion has started to mount over his next potential destination after fresh reports in Turkey claimed that Besiktas have entered the mix late in the day to land the player.
Now under the management of former Light Blues boss Giovanni van Bronckhorst, they hope to convince the playmaker to trace his roots back to Turkey – his ancestral homeland. According to outlet Super Haber, a move to the Istanbul-based club has been agreed ‘in principle’. It’s not the first time Kabadayi has been linked with the club, with reports surfacing last month that Van Bronckhorst had pipped his old club to his signature.
However, those suggestions were quickly dismissed but it’s understood that Kabadayi will take his time and weigh up his options. The report adds that Besiktas’ vice president Huseyin Yucel will also aim play a leading role in the negotiations in an effort to convince the talented youngster that his future lies in the Turkish capital.
Having spent last season on loan at German side Schalke 04 in the Bundesliga 2., Kabadayi is highly-rated by coaching staff at the Allianz Arena. His profile as an young up-and-coming prospect with plenty of room to develop certainly fits the Nils Koppen transfer mould.
Rangers have so far completed deals to bring Jefte (20), Clinton Nsiala (20), Connor Barron (21) and Oscar Cortes (20) to the club, while Mohamed Diomande (22) has also become a permanent recruit after joining initially on loan from Danish outfit FC Nordsjælland in January. The additions of Kabadayi and Moroccan youth international Hamza Igamane (21) would ensure Clement can shift his full focus on to recruitment more experienced players.
