PSV manager Peter Bosz has admitted he was surprised by the collapse of Couhaib Driouech's proposed move to Rangers, revealing that he believed the two clubs had already reached an agreement.
The Moroccan winger's £7 million move to Ibrox dramatically fell through on Friday after a turbulent 48 hours in which Driouech travelled to Scotland, completed his medical and attended Rangers' Europa League clash with Jagiellonia Bialystok.
Bosz has now given his reaction to the failed transfer, making clear that the situation came as a surprise to him.
Asked about the collapse of Driouech's move, the PSV boss said: “A surprise. The clubs had agreed. I was surprised.”
"I will listen to him carefully and can imagine his disappointment very well. Still, after that, we will try again to pull things together to once more go for the big goal at PSV together."
The comments are significant given the confusion surrounding the circumstances of the transfer's collapse.
Rangers had reached an agreement with PSV over the transfer, while personal terms had also been agreed with Driouech.
Medical was not initially viewed as a problem
Driouech travelled to the UK earlier this week and underwent two days of medical testing as Rangers prepared to complete the deal.
Driouech was subsequently in the stands at Ibrox for Thursday's 1-1 draw with Jagiellonia, appearing to be on the verge of becoming a Rangers player.
However, the proposed transfer was abandoned the following day, with Rangers exiting the competition after a 3-2 aggregate defeat.
Rangers' official position is that the deal collapsed because of an injury and that the European exit against Jagiellonia had no bearing on their decision.
Dutch reporting has provided a different layer to the story, suggesting the disagreement centred on Driouech's immediate availability rather than whether he was fit in the long term.
That has created further uncertainty around exactly why the transfer fell apart after appearing to be complete.
Bosz comments add to confusion
Bosz's reaction adds another intriguing element. The PSV manager's claim that the clubs had already agreed means the collapse did not appear to stem from a failure to reach a transfer fee between the two clubs.
Rangers had been expected to pay around €8 million (£7m) for the winger, with the agreement understood to have been reached before Driouech travelled to Scotland.
The 24-year-old had also publicly expressed his excitement about joining Rangers earlier in the week.
He told reporters at Schiphol that he was looking forward to undergoing his medical and experiencing the Rangers support at Ibrox.
He will now return to PSV and the failed transfer leaves Derek McInnes needing to identify an alternative attacking target after the club spent several days working towards Driouech's arrival.
The situation is particularly frustrating given the winger had already completed his medical and attended Ibrox before the deal was called off.
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