Rangers are indeed seeking to bring Belgium superstar Michy Batshuayi in, after Ibrox boss Philippe Clement spoke personally to the Fenerbahce hitman and worked on the deal to persuade him his future lies in Govan.
It has a bit of red tape in front of it, not least Michy’s £60K pw wages which Rangers would have to get reduced, but the former Chelsea striker is out of contract this summer and has rejected a new deal in Turkey, opening up his options considerably.
Currently the front-runners are Rangers, plus Premier League sides Everton and Nottingham Forest, but of course both of them are struggling to hold off the relegation zone and clearly can’t offer European football or 50k crowds.
So Clement’s influence is making a big difference as well – Rangers have a manager who has serious respect in the football world, and being a countryman of Batshuayi Rangers hold all the aces here.
The question is can Michy be attracted to the Famous despite the league we’re in?
The answer is yes.
If Jack Butland (and indeed £35M man Silva) could be attracted to Rangers despite the league, then it shows proper players are more than enthusiastic about our club, even accepting the rather poor Scottish Premiership.
The carrots of course are Europe and the Old Firm, which aren’t available that often.
It is, obviously, up to Michy.
His current club present Ali Koc said:
“I have told him If you want to stay, there is a place for you in Fenerbahce. But if you are restless when you are on the bench, it will affect the team. Let us know your final decision as soon as possible.”
There’s a pretty clear reason the Belgian wants to leave.
Hopefully Rangers is where he goes to.