Rangers could be set to lose a key summer signing in January with a Spanish La Liga side linked with a move for one of former boss Russell Martin’s only success stories.
Ahead of tonight’s UEFA Europa League match away to Robbie Keane’s Ferencvárosi in Hungary, Italian sports journalist Rudy Galetti – who has an extensive contact book within Spanish football reports that Villareal are interested in winger Djeidi Gassama.
On his page Galetti said: “Villarreal continue to work actively on the market as they look for a new attacking winger ahead of the January window.
“While the Spanish club have Sani Suleiman on their list for that role, they have also shown strong interest in another profile: Djeidi Gassama.
“Gassama is under contract with Rangers until June 2029: Villarreal, for their part, have already begun exploring the conditions of a potential deal and plan to continue contacts in the coming days.”
The mentioned Suleiman of Slovak First Football League side Trenčín was linked with a move to Rangers in the summer but now the Ibrox side will be hoping he moves to La Liga to ensure Gassama isn’t top of their list of targets.
Gassama was signed from Sheffield Wednesday in the summer for a cut price fee of £2.2 million amid financial difficulties at the English club but it is believed Rangers would look for upwards of £10 million for the winger if he was to leave this January.
The club are in an advantageous position with the Frenchman still having three-and-a-half years remaining on his deal but with injuries and poor form hampering Oliver Antman at Ibrox, the club are reluctant to listen to offers.
One of the only bright sparks of an awful summer recruitment drive by Martin and the also-axed former sporting director Kevin Thelwell, Gassama hit the ground running early at Ibrox with multiple UEFA Champions League qualifying goals but his form has fluctuated since but he remains a key cog in new head coach Danny Röhl’s side – the German was of course his former boss at Wednesday too.
No reports as of yet as to whether the player would be open to the move but he does posses many attributes that could make him thrive in Spanish football.
With a busy December schedule coming up for the Glasgow giants – it is hoped this will not unsettle a player who has quickly become one of the first names on the Ibrox team sheet.