“Calvin is moving on” – Rangers boss affirms Super Eagles star’s imminent departure

It seems only a matter of time before the Light Blues say their final goodbyes to their last Nigerian international import

Glasgow Rangers manager Giovanni van Bronckhorst has affirmed that Nigerian defender Calvin Bassey will quit the Ibrox club in the next few days.

Bassey appears set to leave for the Netherlands, where he will team up with 1995 Champions League winners Ajax Amsterdam.

The Dutch giants are believed to have beaten other interested suitors to the signature of the Super Eagles fullback.

A £20 million deal (add-ons could see it rise further) is in the works in what could be a club-record transfer for Rangers.

That would be an astonishing piece of business for Rangers, as the Gers only paid a £300,000 development fee to acquire Bassey from Leicester City two years ago.

The 22-year-old has since won the Scottish Premiership and Cup in Glasgow.

The arrival of Giovanni van Bronckhorst boosted Bassey's development more, with the former Arsenal defending entrusting the youngster with greater responsibility.

Bassey responded with quality, playing a starring role as Rangers reached the Europa League final in May.

Bassey was named man-of-the-match in that encounter against Frankfurt. He was also included in the competition's team of the season.

Giovanni van Bronckhorst admits he would have loved to continue working with the versatile fullback. But the Rangers boss confesses it was hard for the Ibrox side to hold on to the Nigerian following his brilliance in Europe.

The Dutchman told Sky Sports: “It was better for all to keep him behind. I think we are in talks with interested clubs; it looks like Calvin is moving on.

“Well, of course, I want to keep Calvin; he's had incredible development in the last six months, coming from the bench into the team and never.

“I'm really happy with his performances but also, when you have players who are playing well in the league and Europe, the attention will be there. In the end, everything we do has to be in the best interests of the club.

“The squad is well at the moment. We changed the players who left and got new players in but with Calvin maybe going as well, we have to look for another player to add to the squad.

“We have our list ready. So, once the deal is done, we can work on another player coming in.”

Bassey would be the third Nigerian international to leave Rangers this summer.

Super Eagles midfielder Joe Aribo and veteran centre-half Leon Balogun have already said their goodbyes to the Ibrox faithful.

Aribo moved to the Premier League to team up with Southampton, while Balogun left as a free agent.