The Rangers player trading model is set to be put to the test with Joe Aribo looking like he could be the first major departure of the summer.
It’s a road the Ibrox club have made no secret of their desire to go down by buying low and selling high. Stewart Robertson for one has issued that clarion call. And Aribo falls into that category after Steven Gerrard landed him in a £300,000 cross-border snip from Charlton Athletic three years ago.
Speaking after the Europa League home win over Brondby last season, Gerrard admitted keeping him could be a struggle saying: “thought his first 45 minutes was outstanding. If he can do that regularly, we’ll be lucky to keep him.” But with just one year left on his Rangers contract how much can they realistically expect to rake in for the Nigeria International? A look across the city at transfer business conducted by Celtic just 12 months ago suggests they should certainly be targeting eight figures.
Odsonne Edouard and Kris Ajer both had less than a year left on their Parkhead deals when the par were sold to Crystal Palace and Brentford for around £14million. That shows Rangers what can be done and they could even break their record sale for Nathan Patterson’s £12m move to Everton midway through last season.
With the money swirling in the cash-rich English Premier League then even the fact Aribo has just a year left on his deal shouldn’t stop them commanding a significant fee, although of course not in as strong a position as they would have been had he extended. Newcastle United have their Saudi billions to play but won’t be held to ransom in the transfer market and Eddie Howe has just signed Burnley keeper Nick Pope for £10m who also had just 12 months left on his contract at Turf Moor.
Crystal Palace, Fulham and Nottingham Forest are just three of the clubs in the English top flight who have been linked with Aribo. Patrick Vieira’s Eagles seem a realistic destination which would see Aribo return to his south London roots.
And a reported transfer target for the Selhurst Park side probably gives the best indicator of why Rangers should be aiming for £10m minimum. Aribo, 25, is just three months older than his Nigeria team-mate Ola Aina who is being lined up by Palace for a return to the Premier League after starting his career at Chelsea.
The defender who was recently on loan at Fulham is currently with Torino and the Italian side are looking for between £10m-£12m for the player. That is despite having three less international caps than Aribo and having had an indifferent campaign in Serie A last season.
Aribo, on the other hand, finished on a high and showed his versatility and eye for the big occasion by playing as a makeshift striker and scoring in the Europa League final. Nottingham Forest have shelled out £17m on another Nigerian in former Liverpool striker Taiwo Awoniyi, albeit he had a buy-out clause in his Union Berlin contract.
And the Midlands side have also been linked with Ukraine striker Artem Dovbyk with £10m the price tag on his head. Fulham might be the one club of the trio unwilling to stretch too far after baulking at the same asking price from Brag for Libyan midfield powerhouse Ali Mohamed Al-Musrati.
Aribo moved to Ibrox in 2019 and has more than repaid that small outlay in compensation but it’s about what they get now if, as looks likely, he moves on. He is valued at £9m on respected website transfermarkt.co.uk – the third highest in the Scottish Premiership behind his team-mates Ryan Kent and Alfredo Morelos.
READ NEXT
