Agent of £5m Rangers ace explains whether he will leave Ibrox this summer.
This is one method to put a stop to the rumours, though. The representative for Rangers’ £5 million arrived almost immediately after they arose to put an end to the rumours.
And in a time when so many of Philippe Clement’s teammates have either said goodbye already or may find themselves doing so in the upcoming weeks, this at least provides some assurance over the future of one member of his team.
On June 1st, the Rangers announced that Ryan Jack, Kemar Roofe, Jon McLaughlin, and John Lundstram would all be leaving Ibrox after their contracts expired.
Borna Barisic, one of those 2021 champions under Steven Gerrard, is also heading out the door after six years at the Glasgow stadium.
Due to Barisic’s departure—Trabzonspor seems to be his most likely destination—the Gers support did not take kindly to stories implying that Ridvan Yilmaz would also be headed there. After all, Yilmaz has emerged as one of the team’s most improved players since Clement joined.
Furthermore, Yilmaz should have a significant part to play under the big Belgian going forward thanks to Barisic’s farewell, even with the addition of fellow left-back Jefte Vital from Fluminense.
The former Besiktas flier will therefore find great comfort in the remarks made by his agent earlier this week, when he strongly denied any possibility of returning to his own country.
Rangers will keep Ridvan Yilmaz this summer
“Ridvan’s career plan is to continue in Europe,” Necdet Ergezen, Yilmaz’s agent, tells reporter Gokmen Ozcan. “There is no plan to return to the Super League in the near and medium term.”
Yilmaz ousted the long-serving Barisic as Rangers’ number one left-back following the turn of the year, finally showcasing the potential that encouraged the Glasgow giants to take a pretty sizeable punt on him during the summer of 2022.
“The little man has made a huge impression ever since the winter break and has nailed down the left back berth for himself,” legendary captain Barry Ferguson told the Daily Record in the spring.
“He’s been a slow burner, and that can happen with any young player adjusting to life in a new country. But he’s a proper Rangers player now.”
Rangers are looking to bring in another left-footed defender in Thomas Galdames. The Godoy Cruz ace has thrived in a full-back berth of late but, by his own admission, remains more comfortable in a central role at the heart of the backline.
Squad overhaul underway at Ibrox
After Norwich City won the £3 million contract for Jose Cordoba, Rangers went to Galdames and gave veteran Leon Balogun a well-deserved contract extension. “It was obvious to me to keep big Balogun at the club,” Ferguson adds.
He might indeed be 35 years old. But he seems like the epitome of a professional, in my opinion.
He will be staying on to provide some consistency while Clement rings the changes elsewhere, which pleases me.
“The manager will know exactly how he wants his squad to look when he gets back to Auchenhowie, having already released five players.”
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