Rangers willing to meet asking price for attacker, as Jose Mourinho and Neil Lennon duel for Ibrox outcast

Rangers are eager to conclude a deal with Bayern Munich for 20-year-old winger Yusuf Kabadayi having learned that the Bundesliga club would let him go for a fee a shade under £1m, TEAMtalk has learned.

The winger spent last season on loan at Schalke 04 having been dispatched from the reserve squad last term, and Rangers are willing to pay the reputed £850k fee that Bayern would ask for the prospect.

Kabadayi has just one year left to run on his contract with Bayern although the terms of his loan to Schalke included an option to buy.

Cash-strapped Schalke, currently back in the second tier of German football after a rollercoaster start to the 2020s for the club, are believed to be unwilling to pay the fee required to trigger their option to buy. As such, the door is open for Rangers to hijack the move.

Rival Bundesliga club St. Pauli and Serie A side Lecce have also been linked with a move for the German Youth International.

Rangers boss Philippe Clement is preparing for what will be his first full season in charge and TEAMtalk can confirm there is an urgency to get signings completed.

Clement will have loftier targets in the coming season after leading Rangers to League Cup glory last term.

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Rangers outcast wanted by Neil Lennon and Jose Mourinho

The flipside of Clement’s rebuild is the clear-out currently under way at Rangers with 2021 title winners Borna Barisic, Ryan Jack and Kemar Roofe already sent packing and another member of that triumphant group, Ianis Hagi now linked with an exit.

Hagi was sent out on loan before Clement was brought in to steady the ship at Ibrox, and it doesn’t seem like the Belgian will need to see what he can offer ahead of another departure.

New Rapid Bucharest manager Neil Lennon might only have been half joking when he offered to take the 25-year-old Romanian off the hands of his great rivals.

Hagi counts Jose Mourinho among his admirers as well and his agent refused to rule out a move Fenerbahce in the summer.

“Currently we do not know anything concrete regarding the transfer of Ianis Hagi to Fenerbahce. You know very well what our relationship is with Jose Mourinho. At the moment there is nothing. But that does not mean that Ianis Hagi could not reach Fenerbahce,” Hagi’s agent Victor Becali told Turkish reporters.

“Mourinho has always liked Ianis Hagi. Always saw him as a high quality player. There are elections now at Fenerbahce. After things calm down, Mourinho also gets down to business and makes the transfer list.

“We can’t confirm now that Ianis will end up at Fenerbahce, but anything can happen in the near future.”

READ MORE – Seven stars to leave Ibrox this summer as Clement eyes major squad reshuffle