Scottish giants Rangers are back shopping for another Nigerian player after losing the three Nigerian players who were full blown international during the ongoing summer transfer window.

Leon Balogun wasn’t offered a new deal while Joe Aribo was sold to Southampton. Calvin Bassey is the latest to leave the club with a fee in the region of €22m agreed with Dutch giants Ajax for his signing.

Already the club have swung into action for potential replacement for the above mentioned players, and ex Nigeria U15 midfielder Thompson Ishaka has placed himself in pole position to replace Aribo with his performance while on trials.

17 year Ishaka came to the fore in youth football in England with two goals in the final of the U18 English Schools Football Association. He scored a smashing brace for Leicester City Brooke House College in a 3-1 win over London Nautical College, the youth academy of English Premier League side Crystal Palace.

He has now impressed during a trial spell with Rangers B, leaving Elgin City’s Darryl McHardy “having nightmares” after the youngsters ran out 4-0 winners in a pre season friendly. And his performance during the clash has also got Gers fans talking despite playing for just 55 minutes.

A deal is said to be imminent for the teen left footed winger who can play in a role on either flanks, behind the striker or even in a wingback role. Aside Rangers, teams across England and elsewhere in Europe are also monitoring him. He is managed by a joint team of Johnny Precious Ogbah and Errol Olumide.

The future of Nigeria international forward Sadiq Umar is far from resolved with his Spanish side Almeria not willing to drop their asking price for the lanky 25 year old.

Sadiq powered the team to La Liga promotion finishing as top scorer for the second consecutive year he has been at the club. That has as expected alerted top clubs in Europe who have now shown interest in signing him.

So far three offers have come in for Sadiq but none has reached the €30m price tag slammed on him by Almeria. The fee is €30m less than his buy out clause of €60m in his contract which has three more years to run.

Almeria decided to slash the buy out clause to help the forward get his dream move as he agreed to remain at the club and helped the team to promotion despite having offers from some top teams in the La Liga.

Serie A side Atalanta are the only team abroad to have slap in a bid for him with a fee of €18m. Which was outrightly rejected by Almeria. Getafe also have an offer of €16m on the table of Almeria to consider while keeping 50% of his future transfer. Like that of Atalanta it was rejected.

Teams like Real Sociedad, Villarreal, Sevilla and Valencia have all made enquiries but none have formally lodged a big although Villarreal have made a verbal proposal of €15m and as a player. Their proposal was communicated to the entourage of the player.

They were told the fee is insufficient and since then they haven’t returned with an improved offer. Sadiq on his part isn’t opposed to staying at the club for another season but will no doubt he tempted with a move to Sevilla, as he is keen on reuniting with Monchi who was his sporting director at Roma plus also play in the UEFA Champions League but they have received no official offer yet.

While teams are working on how to lure the Nigerian. Almeria have made it clear that they won’t go below the €30m price tag and want it in one installment with several achievable add ons expected to be embedded in the deal.

Nigeria international defender Calvin Bassey had agreed a five year deal with Dutch giants Ajax according to a technical staff of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF).

Ajax are among the teams battling for his signature with Brighton and Hove Albion also keen on pricing him from Scottish side Rangers. The defender however picked Ajax as his next career destination and a fee of around €20m is said to have been agreed between both parties.

The fee goes into the record books as the highest sale ever by the Scottish side smashing the €14m Everton paid for Nathan Patterson in January. He will sign a five year deal we gathered from our source.

” He isn’t in Rangers squad for their pre season game because the move is 90% done. What is left is a routine medical and it will be made official by next week if all goes as expected. It’s a five year deal”, he told OwnGoalNigeria.com in an exclusive chat.

He said Bassey picked Ajax because of the promise of regular first team football with a spot for him already sure as he will fill the void created by the exit of Lisandro Martinez to Manchester United. They both play in same role either as left back or left centre back.

Dutch champions Ajax Amsterdam have made the first step towards replacing Lisandro Martinez who is expected to join Manchester United in the coming hours per several reports.

However their quest is not plain sailing as expected with their prime target also courting interest from an English Premier League team in Brighton and Hove Albion. It’s slowly turning into a bidding war for Nigeria international defender Calvin Bassey.

Bassey was excellent for Scottish side Rangers all through their campaign in the Europa League where they got to the final. He has also cemented his spot in the senior national team of Nigeria. That form hasn’t gone unnoticed.

Ajax have slapped in a bid of £19m, £3m more than Brighton’s offer for the Nigeria international but both bids falls below the valuation of Rangers who want £25m. Both teams are hoping to negotiate the price down to what they feel is the player’s worth.

Rangers are not opposed to letting him leave but they will want a value that is close to what they think the 23 year old is worth after his performances last season. They are also counting on him for next season.

One of the stars for the Nigeria U17 team at the recently concluded WAFU B U17 Championship Michael Emmanuel has caught the eyes of several teams in Europe.

Michael who is predominantly a midfielder filed in at left back for Nigeria at the tournament and didn’t disappoint with three goals all coming from freekicks. He also bagged an assist in the final match were Nigeria triumph 2-1 against Burkina Faso.

He won three man of the match award in four games at the tournament. A perfomance that placed him on the radar of several teams and one has already contacted his team Simoiben Football Academy.

City Football Group Limited (CFG) the holding company that administers Manchester City in England, Lommel SK in Belgium, Troyes in France, Girona in Spain and Palermo in England are the first team to officially contact the academy funded by Super Eagles star Moses Simon.

The offer was brought forward by a scout who works with the group and it involves agreeing a fee for the left footed teen sensation now ahead of paying it when he turns 18 in two years time.

Their offer is said to be in excess of €1m but the focus of the academy is on ensuring that Michael moves to a team that will aid his development even for a fee way less. The CFG project isn’t a trusted project yet in the sight of the hierarchy of the academy.

A decision also won’t be taken on the 16 year old until at least after the U17 Africa Cup of Nations with sources at the academy insisting that money won’t be the motivation behind any decision. His career development will be the first criteria when a decision is made.

As the transfer window draws to the business end, teams are expected to step up their chase for their targets while some will make plans to hold on to their players even in the eyes of tempting offers.

One name who has been in the news lately is Almeria Nigerian striker Sadiq Umar. The Nigeria international has drawn serious interest from fellow Spanish side Villarreal whose coach Unai Emery wants him to fortify his attack.

Howeve,r the forward who is back in training with Almeria hasn’t made up his mind on leaving the newly promoted side with the love and trust the manager has for him making his decision more difficult. He is not sure he will get same elsewhere.

Although Villarreal’s offer hasn’t been accepted yet but if the lanky forward gives his consent to the move then talks will accelerate between both teams to find an agreement. For now that go ahead from Sadiq is still missing.

As first reported by OwnGoalNigeria.com, he has given his words to the sporting director of Sevilla Monchi that he will prioritize a move to the team if he leaves Almeria in the future. He gave his words after shunning a move to the Andalusian side last summer.

For now, Sevilla need to move at least two players in attack to raise funds and also create space for the signing of the Nigerian. A task that hasn’t been easy so far hence their delay in making an official bid for him.

He is not in a rush to leave Almeria even though he is tempted by the move to Villarreal. Sevilla however holds the keys to one of the tournament he is eager to play in which is the UEFA Champions League. A dilemma it is for the Kaduna raised star.

Crvena zvezda commonly known as Red Star Belgrade have set out plans for the new season where they will be competing in the UEFA Champions League following their league triumph last season in Serbia.

The team will join the UEFA Champions League qualifiers from the final round of qualifiers, and as part of their plans to beef up their sqaud they have set their sight on bolstering their options in attack.

To that effect they have set the wheel in motion to sign Nigeria international forward Cyriel Dessers, who finished as the top scorer in the UEFA Europa Conference League last season with ten goals while at Feyenoord.

Feyenoord are yet to take up the option of signing the Nigerian for €4m leaving the door open for other teams to make offer for the forward who is back at his Belgium side Genk. They are however open to letting him leave if a fee that meets their valuation is lodged.

For now Red Star Belgrade are the only team reported to have put in a bid for him but there is no confirmation if it is within the amount that Genk are demanding for the forward. Again no confirmation if Dessers is open to the deal.

The summer transfer window in Europe is just unfolding, and one of the players set to make headlines is Victor Osimhen. The Nigerian forward has been a rising star ever since he landed at Sporting Charleroi in the 2018/2019 season. Four seasons later and he is easily the most sought-after Nigerian player as the transfer window takes shape.

In his last four seasons playing int the top leagues in Europe, Osimhen has scored at least 10 goals and his transfer fees have been going up and up with each move that he’s made. Sporting Charleroi paid a paltry €3.5m for his services in July 2019 and he would go on to score 20 goals that season.

He attracted attention from across Europe and French side Lille won the battle for the Nigerian’s signature. They paid €12m for his services. He went on to score 17 goals in his one and only season at the club before Napoli moved for him. The Italians paid €70m for his services and after two seasons with Napoli, he could be packing his bags again.

Having played in two of the top five leagues, Osimhen’s next destination is definitely going to be in the big leagues. Just like it has been in the recent seasons, he will attract a lot of reviews and especially on top betting sites that come with competitive odds, like Betobet, which also comes with great offers.

With his performances in Europe, he is a good bet to hit 10 or more goals next season and this can offer a great way to utilize the Betobet bonus. Profiled on Wincomparator, Betobet offers a bonus of up to €100, matching the first deposit to 100% upon registration.

Osimhen scored 18 times for Napoli last season and his performances haven’t gone unnoticed. The striker has attracted interest from Germany and England. In Germany, it is the biggest team there, Bayern Munich, that is said to be on his chase. Robert Lewandowski is said to be on his way to Barcelona and Bayern, who have already signed Sadio Mane, have been linked with Osimhen as well, as a potential Lewandowski replacement.

The bigger links are coming from England though with three top sides said to be lining up bids for him. Chelsea, Manchester United and Arsenal are all interested, and a quick look at these teams will suggest he can fit in any of them. Chelsea will however have an upper hand, being in the Champions League as well as having released Romelu Lukaku.

Arsenal have already signed a center forward, which may mean Osimhen could not be a priority for them anymore, but there can always be twists and turns as the Gunners look to address the fact that they released both Alexander Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. Osimhem, being only 23, will fit in Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta’s long term plan, but the downside would be that Arsenal are only going to play in the Europa League.

Manchester United is also a prospective destination for the Nigerian. The club is restructuring after a poor campaign last season and Erik ten Hag could do with a forward of Osimhen’s magnitude. Marcus Rashford was poor last season and Mason Greenwood is suspended while Cristiano Ronaldo is seeking a move out. This makes it feasible for Osimhen to move to Old Trafford, but there’s the small issue of United playing in the Europa League next season, which may not be very attractive for Osimhen.

With teams beffing up their squad for the start of the new season, a lot of players are expected to be on the move before the end of the ongoing summer transfer window.

Some moves will go under the radar because the players are most times not in the league of the most sought after but teams have absolute faith in them hence their decision to sign them.

One of such is 17 year old Nigerian midfielder Chilohem Chukwuma Onuoha who was born in Germany. Who is joining RB Leipzig from fellow German side Hertha Berlin.

According to LVS, RB Leipzig are taking advantage of his contract situation at Hertha Berlin to get him on a cheap as he has one year left on his deal to run at the club.

He caught the eyes of a lot of teams last season last season, as he was exceptional for Hertha-U17 where he played in 14 games and scored five goals. Leipzig won the race to his signing ahead of the likes of Chelsea and Ajax Amsterdam.

LVZ editor Guido Schäfer describes the 1.88 meter tall youngster as “athletic, technically good with both feet”. He will start of with the U19 of the RB Leipzig where his progress will be monitored for promotion to the first team.

The imminent transfer of Ajax defender Lisandro Martinez to English Premier League giant Manchester United has left the Dutch side searching for defenders of similar abilities.

Martinez is predominantly a left sided centre back who can also operates as a left full back with his decisiveness in his tackling and abilities on the ball making him a defender who is sought after.

Ajax in their bid to get a defender of similar attributes have shifted their attention to Nigeria international defender Calvin Bassey who can also play as a left sided center back or a left full back.

Bassey was the star for Scottish side Rangers last season when they went all the way to the final of the Europa League posting man of the match perfomance in the semi final and the final match as well.

Ajax have reportedly slapped in a bid for the defender who can operate almost in same capacity as Martinez as he is comfortable in playing as a left or centre back. Their bid however fell short of Rangers valuation of the defender.

As per the Dailymail, Brighton and Hove Albion also made a similar offer which was rejected as well. Aston Villa are the other team set to be interested in securing the service of the Nigeria international.