Rangers can land new signings’ former team-mate too, available on loan

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Besiktas could let Kartal Kayra Yilmaz leave on loan as Scottish Premiership giants Rangers eye up another raid of the Turkish Super Lig outfit, as reported by Milliyet. 

You’d have got long odds on one Yilmaz arriving at Ibrox this summer. Never mind two.

Ridvan, the club’s new £5 million left-back, started the window being linked with the likes of Tottenham Hotspur but will end it in royal blue, putting pen to paper on a long-term deal at the Glasgow outfit this week. 

But Rangers signing two players named Yilmaz from the same club, in the same summer? Surely that’s a glitch in the matrix, right? Or perhaps not. 

Rangers have reportedly made contact with Besiktas again, with Ridvan’s 21-year-old namesake now on their radar. And Kartal, a versatile central midfielder who can play as a number ten or in a more defensive role, will be allowed to leave Vodafone Park on loan. 

The Turkish youngster spent 2021/22 away from Besiktas too, his impressive performances helping Umraniyespor secure promotion to the top flight. 

Could Rangers raid Besiktas again for another Yilmaz?

According to Milliyet, Besiktas plan to include a clause in Kartal’s contract, in an attempt to ensure he plays regular football at his next club. Of course, Rangers are in no real position to make such a promise. Especially when you consider how much quality Giovanni van Bronckhorst has at his disposal in central areas. 

The Gers have Ryan Jack, James Sands, Glen Kamara, Steven Davis, John Lundstram, Ianis Hagi, Scott Arfield and Tom Lawrence. And that’s without mentioning the exciting Alex Lowry or new arrival Malik Tillman. Or the versatile Scott Wright, for that matter. 

But you can see why Rangers like Kartal Yilmaz. What he lacks in stature, he makes up for in skill and style. Kartal is a highly-technical, self-confident football player; One who loves to pick up the ball from deep before breaking the lines with a burst of acceleration or a piercing through ball. 

There are striking similarities with him and another reported Rangers target; FCSB’s Romania international Darius Olaru.