Fabrizio Romano says 'here we go' on £16.9m transfer deal that had Rangers keepng tabs
06/25/2024 12:00 PM
Rangers transfer window started at 100 mph and for all that the pace has slowed down slightly, Nils Koppen is still working overtime to get deals done.
Five players have left already with four new signings confirmed and a few others like Hamza Igamane and Yusuf Kabadayi expected to arrive as well.
One target who doesn't look like he will be on his way to Ibrox to join Philippe Clement's squad is a player whose price tag is way out of Rangers reach.
Iliman Ndiaye set for big money move after Rangers interst
Iliman Ndiaye has been watched by Rangers and, according to HITC, the striker was being considered as a possible option this summer.
As with most deals, Fabrizio Romano has already put a spanner in the works though by revealing the details that explain why Glasgow won't be the 24-year old's next destination.
For £16.9m in total, Everton are looking to sign a player who scored four goals in 46 appearances last season.
Can you imagine the uproar if Rangers recruitment chief sanctioned such a move – at least Tore Andre Flo scored a goal every three games before his record breaking £12m transfer.
At Sheffield United, before his £20m move to Marseille, Ndiaye had a much more respectable goal contribution record of 22 goals and 14 assists in 88 appearances and it is this that appears to have caught Everton's eye.
Ndiaye deal highlights Rangers problem in transfer market
This is the latest indication of where Rangers are in the transfer market.
It is one thing to identify players, it is another entirely to bring them to the SPFL and to a club where £40,000 per week is the top wage rather than the basic.
Premier League clubs have recently been engaged in a merry-go-round involving academy players in eight-figure deals despite them rarely featuring at senior level and £10m is the new £1m.
Even clubs like Ipswich Town are looking to spend £20m plus to bring in the players that they want.
The role that Rangers can play at this end of the market is by taking players like Ndiaye on loan.
As shown with Abdallah Sima, the talent is out there in and around the fringes of the top five league clubs, just because they aren't getting a game doesn't mean that they should be written off.
It's incredible that Everton, with all their financial woes, can take a punt on a player for nearly £17m and that, if it doesn't work out, they won't be losing much money.
Rangers, on the other hand, have to make every penny count.
