Barry Ferguson wants Rangers to do "everything in their power" to keep Calvin Bassey. And he's told the in-demand defender another season at Ibrox would be best for his career.
Ajax and Brighton have registered an interest in the £25million-rated star after he ended last season with a string of impressive displays. He proved key in Rangers reaching the Europa League Final and winning the Scottish Cup under Giovanni van Bronckhorst. Ajax are in the market to replace Manchester United-bound Lisandro Martinez while Brighton look set to lose Marc Cucurella to Manchester City - and it's understood Bassey has moved to the top of both clubs' priority lists.
Ferguson insists if Rangers do cash in on the 22-year-old they must hold out for the highest price they can, citing Kieran Tierney 's £25million transfer from Celtic to Arsenal in 2019. The Ibrox legend told Go Radio: "I keep checking he's still a Rangers player because I think it's important that Rangers try everything in their power to keep him, but every player has their price.
"I said it last season, he's worth £25million, similar to Kieran Tierney when he went down to Arsenal. If a club is going to come in and try to entice him away, they need to pay Rangers top dollar.
"I can see why teams like Brighton and Ajax are interested in him. I think there'll be a number of other clubs keeping a close eye on it. It'll be interesting to see but I just think for Bassey, it would be better for him to go and play another season (at Rangers).
"He's got everything needed to be a top, top defender. He's got everything in the locker.
"You saw it in his performances last year. He was outstanding, whether that was at centre half or left back, he's come on leaps and bounds. I think Rangers have got a proper, proper player on their hands.
"Rangers will hold out for top dollar because they know what they've got. He's proved that with his performances on the pitch. He was a standout for Rangers last season.
"The beauty of Calvin Bassey is that he can play a number of positions. He can play left centre half in a back three, he can play in a two, he can play left back and he can play left wing-back.
"I would be absolutely gutted to see him leave, but the flipside of that is that you've got to understand that every player's got a price on their head. If somebody comes in and is willing to pay top, top dollar, Rangers might need to look at it."
Meanwhile, Rangers are closing in on a deal to bring in Bayern Munich youngster Malik Tillman, initially on-loan. And Ferguson reckons they'd be getting a similar player to Chelsea's Ruben Loftus-Cheek.
"It looks like that deal's pretty close. I spent a bit of time this morning having a good look on YouTube. Do you know what? He reminded me of Loftus-Cheek at Chelsea. He's that type of player.
"At 20, he's a real good age as well. He's got a good grounding at Bayern Munich, a USA international so he looks the part. What I like is that in terms of the selection for Gio is that he's got lots of options . Different types of players which is always healthy at a football club.
