Aston Villa’s pursuit of Calvin Bassey has received a timely boost with The Sun reporting that West Ham United youngster Emmanuel Longelo could replace the Rangers star at Ibrox.
After being denied an invitation to Nottingham Forest’s promotion party thanks to the most ill-timed of injuries, Longelo will be hoping that history does not repeat itself as he looks to graduate from the West Ham finishing school before embarking upon a footballing PHD at a club willing to offer him further education.
The 21-year-old left-back played just once under David Moyes in 2021/22. What’s more, he wasn’t even included in a single one of West Ham’s 38 Premier League squads.
And with just 12 months left on his Hammers contract, a parting of the ways is starting to feel inevitable. Especially with the Europa League semi-finalists prioritising another left-sided defender, whether that be Aaron Hickey or Federico Dimarco, Adrien Truffert or Arthur Theate.
Calvin Bassey out, Emmanuel Longelo in at Rangers?
The Sun believe that newly-promoted Bournemouth could offer Longelo a London Stadium escape route. Hibernian and Millwall are also keen, but it is Rangers’ interest that stirs up the most intrigue.
The report adds that a potential summer switch to Ibrox ‘depends on the future of Calvin Bassey’. Simply put, Rangers seem to view Longelo as a potential replacement for a man who, at the end of May, was reported to be closing in on a £25 million reunion with Steven Gerrard at Aston Villa (The Times).
Longelo, who can also play further forward on the wing and set up five goals in 18 Premier League 2 games in 2021/22, would arrive at Rangers in similar circumstances to the deal that saw Bassey sign on a dotted line from Leicester City. Like Bassey, Longelo has found opportunities hard to come by south of the border. He can also be snapped up for a cut-price fee.
Rangers are reportedly keen on Stoke City’s Josh Tymon too. Valued £5 million, however, he is likely to cost a lot more than Longelo. Reports claim West Ham are demanding £1 million for Longelo.
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