Rangers get unexpected £4m transfer boost with one caveat as Rrahmani and Hannibal signing rules set
The clearout is ramping up at Ibrox as Philippe Clement rings the changes
Rangers are expected to cash-in on misfit Jose Cifuentes in the next 24 hours as he nears a move to Aris Thessaloniki.
And while the club will bank a bumper payday next summer when the loan deal becomes permanent, reports in Greece claim that the Scottish Premiership side will still be picking up the salary of the Ecuador international in full. Cifuentes is set to seal his move to the Super League on Monday with his medical already booked with his loan move to Cruzeiro cut short.
Having been brought to Ibrox just 12 months ago from LAFC for a the £1.2million payout with Michael Beale predicting big things - he made no impact in Govan and has not earned a second chance during Philippe Clement's massive rebuild. Reports in Greece state that following an initial season-long loan there will be an obligation to buy the Rangers flop for a fee of around £4million.
However, Sport 24 claim that Aris expect the Light Blues to cover the 25-year-old's salary for the upcoming campaign in Greece. It is claimed that his pay packet it in the region of €1million (£850k).
In terms of incomings, Albion Rrahmani has been linked with a move to Ibrox from Rapid Bucharest. The Romanian outfit, who are managed by former Celtic legend Neil Lennon, are already underway in their new season - and appear in no rush to sell.
But owner Victor Angelescu has revealed that the Kosovo international would only be allowed to leave the club should a suitable replacement be found. He told Romanian outlet Sport: "As long as we have already transferred a striker and Albion is not leaving in the near future, we are not interested in another striker at the moment. We cannot say 100 per cent that Rrahmani is not leaving, but at the moment he is not leaving.
"There is still time of transfers, anything can happen, but the way we see it, there's a pretty good chance he'll stay. We have enough strikers.
"We have also transferred a new one and we are not interested in another striker under the conditions that Rrahmani will not leave. For Rrahmani there are no advanced negotiations or any offer that we are considering accepting in the near future. There were several interesting teams, but if we didn't give him, it means we didn't agree on the transfer amount. A new striker would have to be negotiated to allow Rrahmani to leave."
Hannibal Mejbri has also been touted with a Manchester United departure for Rangers - with Celtic also said to be interested. The 21-year-old looks to be out of the first-team picture at Old Trafford - with the English Premier League side keen to secure a permanent exit for the Tunisian international.
And speaking to Tunisian outlet The National, the midfielder insists a non-negotiable for his next move is being given a regular starting spot. The United outcast said: "As a footballer, I just want to play and show myself.
"Every player will say the same. I’m tired of sitting on a bench watching others play. Last season was OK when I was at United, but I felt I could have had a little bit more game time after the Brighton game when I scored.
"As a player you always want more, so I decided to go on loan to Sevilla. I experienced a lot of things there. It didn’t go well but I feel like I learned a lot and that I’m more mature. I can feel that around the United players now."