Rangers miss out on £6.3m target, he’s heading to the Middle East instead

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Scottish Premiership giants Rangers will miss out on £6.3 million Genk winger Theo Bongonda with Het Belang van Limburg claiming that he is on his way to the United Arab Emirates. 

What do you want first, Rangers fans? The good news or the bad news?

Well, on the upside, Schalke misfit Rabbi Matondo appears to have taken one giant step closer to joining Antonio Colak and Tom Lawrence at Ibrox. The former Manchester City youngster is confirmed to have been left out of Schalke’s pre-season squad after Rangers showed a willingness to meet the Bundesliga club’s vastly-reduced price-tag (Sky Sports). 

And Matondo’s arrival will offset the disappointment at missing out on another jet-heeled wideman. 

Bongonda, the most expensive player in Genk’s history, is on his way to the Middle East. According to HBVL, Al-Ain are on the verge of adding the one-time Celta Vigo speedster – who has been training alone in recent times – to their title-winning squad.  

Rangers to sign Rabbi Matondo but miss out on Theo Bongonda

“Those are things that emerged from last season, which I am completely outside of,” says Wouter Vrancken, Genk’s new head coach, when asked about Bongonda’s seemingly inevitable departure (HLN).  

“I don’t want to say anything negative about him because I haven’t worked with him. But it seems clear to me that the roads will part.”

The skilful, unpredictable Bongonda produced 13 goals and five assists last season. On paper at least, he would have looked a more ambitious signing than Matondo – a man who arrives at Ibrox with an almighty point to prove. 

Matondo arrived in Gelsenkirchen amid comparisons with another Etihad export in Jadon Sancho. The fact that he will leave Schalke three years later – for a fraction of his initial £11 million price-tag – tells it’s own story. What’s more, Matondo failed to live up to expectations during forgettable loan spells at Stoke City or Cercle Brugge.

Then again, at the age of 21, this is a footballer with plenty of time on his side. And Rangers have a coach in Giovanni van Bronckhorst who tends to get the best out of touchline-hugging wingers.