Vitesse Arnhem captain Danilho Doekhi admits he is ‘flattered’ by Rangers interest and knows what to expect from life in the Scottish Premiership, speaking to De Gelderlander.
It’s becoming a bit of a theme this month; Out-of-contract centre-halves.
Rangers, as it stands, will lose both Connor Goldson and Leon Balogun when they become free-agents in July.
And two of the players the Glasgow giants have identified as potential replacements will also be available for nothing six months from now; Hearts’ John Souttar and Vitesse’s Doekhi.
But while Souttar appears ready to leave Tynecastle, Doekhi has made it clear that he plans to stay in Arnhem until the summer.
Beyond then, however, his future remains up in the air.
Speaking on Wednesday afternoon, Doekhi admitted that Rangers had expressed an interest in him, confirming the rumours that have been trickling out of the Netherlands since May.
Will Danilho Doekhi replace Connor Goldson at Rangers?
“Of course, I get the rumours of Napoli and Rangers,” the 23-year-old adds.
“I am flattered. Scotland is passion. In Italy, you really learn how to defend. Both (destinations) are very beautiful.”
With all due respect to the Scottish Premiership, a league containing the likes of Ross County and Livingston cannot be expected to compete with the prestige of Serie A.
Few would give Rangers much of a chance if they were to go head-to-head with a Napoli side sitting third in the Italian top flight, ahead of Juventus, Roma and Atalanta.
Though the fact that Doekhi is unwilling to rule out a move to Glasgow – describing Ibrox as a ‘beautiful’ destination – means Rangers certainly shouldn’t be seen as outsiders for his signature.
The Premiership leaders have £16 million burning a hole in their pockets too following the departure of Nathan Patterson from Everton.
James Sands, their first signing of the window, did not cost a penny either, joining on loan from MLS outfit New York City FC.
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