TAV THAT
Rangers skipper James Tavernier ‘ACCEPTS contract offer from new club’ as he closes in on Ibrox exit after nine years
The move will see him reunite with a couple of Rangers pals next season
JAMES TAVERNIER is reportedly closing in on a shock move to Turkey.
The Rangers skipper, 32, looks set to call it a day at Ibrox after nine years at the club.
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Tavernier's future has been shrouded in uncertainty amid claims the captain could reunite with former boss Steven Gerrard in Saudi Arabia.
Talks over a potential move to the Middle East have cooled in recent months but Al-Ettifaq haven't been the only club to show interest.
Giovanni van Bronkchorst was also linked with his old skipper after taking over at Besiktas last month.
However, it now looks like the defender could become a rival of the Dutchman next season instead as he has reportedly agreed terms with another Turkish side.
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Trabzonspor have already lured Borna Barisic and John Lundstram away on free transfers, but manager Abdullah Avci isn't done yet.
Tavernier has also caught his eyes, and he is keen to reunite the trio this summer.
Reports in Turkey suggest the club have already launched a "formal proposal" for the player and are hoping to enter the next stage of negotiations with Rangers.
And it looks like things are moving quickly as it's being claimed now that there's been a major development.
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Turkish journalist Yagiz Sabuncuoglu has suggested on social media that a deal has now been AGREED between Tavernier and Trabzonspor.
He says the Rangers skipper has penned similar terms to Barisic - signing a two-year deal with an option to extend it by a further 12 months.
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However, it's not a done deal just yet as the two clubs still need to agree a fee.
The initial fee offered to the Ibrox club has not been disclosed, but Sabuncuoglu claims it is €1million (£840,000) short of the Gers' asking price.
It's been no secret that Tavernier could leave the club this summer.
His team-mate and fellow veteran Connor Goldson has also been linked with moves away.
But speaking this week, Clement branded the speculation over both players' exits as "fake news" before admitting Rangers would discuss a deal with any clubs who show interest.
He said: “There is a lot of speculation in Glasgow and I have read a lot of things that you say are totally not true, said Clement when asked about Tavernier and Goldson's futures at the club.
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“Fake news. But it is part of being in Glasgow. You cannot react to every fake news because then you’ll only be busy with that.
“What I see is that they brought a lot to the club the last couple of years. That they did really good games with me. They also did games where it was less, like all the team.
“For me they maybe played too much last season or the last couple of years because if you play 60 games nobody is every time at his top shape. They have done all of that for the club, they worked really hard for that.
“They are not going to play 60 games the season to come now and all the speculation around them is the same speculation that you can have around every player. It is the same for us.
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“If there is somebody coming with the right amount of money we will see, we will discuss.
"But you always need to see and then you need to replace somebody and you need enough money to replace them to make it better, otherwise it is also of no use. It is finding a balance in that way.
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“I think there is only one player that is irreplaceable at the moment that I don’t think a team will pay the money that he is worth, for sure, and that is Jack Butland.
"Everybody knows what I think about that.”
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