Major twist in James Tavernier’s future as Rangers ‘make stance clear’ to interested clubs

THE transfer window may be closed in Scotland but the future of Rangers captain James Tavernier remains a hot topic.

And amid plenty of claims he could be bound for Turkey, the Light Blues’ stance on their skipper has reportedly emerged.

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Tavernier, 32, was consistently linked with a Rangers exit during the summer window.

But while several other big names did indeed move on, Tavernier remained at the club.

He was spotted coming under fire outside Ibrox last week following the Gers’ 3-0 defeat to Celtic and since that, talk about a possible exit route out of the club reemerged.

The Turkish window remains open and it was revealed last week that no less than FOUR clubs there were interested in signing Tavernier before their transfer deadline at the end of this week.

They were named as Besiktas, Istanbul Basaksehir, Fenerbahce and Galatasaray.

Clubs in Qatar were also credited with an interest and the transfer window remains open there too.

In a fresh twist, it emerged earlier today that three of those Turkish clubs – as well as Eyupspor – had made offers to sign another right-back, Newcastle‘s Kieran Trippier.

But the bids for the England star were all REJECTED with Toon boss Eddie Howe adamant he wants to keep Trippier.

And according to a fresh report out of Turkey, firm interest in Tavernier could be met with a similar response from Rangers.

Haberturk say that it is UNLIKELY the Gers will sanction an exit for Tavernier at this point in time.

They claim that the Light Blues won’t be willing to let him leave without being able to bring in a replacement.

As a result, they say that any potential move for Tavernier to Turkey may have to wait until January.

The report goes on to say that Besiktas and their manager – ex-Rangers boss Giovanni van Bronckhorst – are continuing to monitor developments closely.

Meanwhile, Rangers outcast Ianis Hagi has once again re-iterated that he intends to stay and fight for his place.

The midfielder has been completely frozen out of the Gers first team under Philippe Clement.

But after a starring cameo in Romania’s Nations League win over Lithuania, Hagi was bullish about his chances of forcing his way back into things at Ibrox.

The 25-year old said: “It’s all down to me, I know what I’ve been through for the last six weeks.

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“I did the training with the second team, I did the physical training. The Romania coach knows how much I pushed myself to be present here. This is my passion.

“I’m going back to Rangers. I have one year left on my contract there.

“I gave two public messages, everyone knows them. I love the club, I’m ready to fight for the fans, for what that huge club means in Europe.

“I’m there, I’m back, I’m fighting for the coach, for the team.

“They know who I am as a person, as a footballer. Tomorrow, I go back to Glasgow and start all over again. I fight.”

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