July 20, (THEWILL) – Calvin Bassey’s transfer to Ajax for a £19.6 million transfer fee set a new club record for Rangers.
The 22-year-old Nigerian defender agreed to a five-year contract with the Dutch champions, and add-ons could raise the transfer price by a further £3 million. It is a profitable piece of good business for the Scottish side as Bassey transferred from Leicester City to Rangers in 2020, for a little compensation sum.
However, the Nigerian international quickly established himself as a crucial player. In his first season, Bassey made 15 appearances as Rangers won their first top-flight championship in ten years. Then, last season, he featured in 50 games for the Ibrox club, helping them win the Scottish Cup and get to the UEFA Europa League final.
Before Bassey, the previous record selling for Rangers was Nathan Patterson for £11.5 million. The defender will now join Ajax at their training camp in Austria before they begin the defense of their Eredivisie championship on August 6, one week after they take on PSV in the Johan Cruyff Shield, which opens the new season.
Over in Scotland, Scottish centre-back John Souttar, agreed to a pre-contract transfer to Rangers from Hearts earlier this year, while on Tuesday, defender Ben Davies went from Liverpool to Ibrox to take up the vacancy in the backline from Bassey’s move.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
