Rangers eye Besiktas star Ridvan Yilmaz as Jurgen Klopp welcomes ‘top drawer character’ Ben Davies after centre-back swaps Anfield for Ibrox in £4m deal
- Ben Davies failed to make a senior appearance in two seasons with Liverpool
- The defender has already completed his £4m move to Rangers
- Jurgen Klopp called him a ‘complete defender’ who is ‘entering his peak’
- Rangers are also looking to sign Turkish international Ridvan Yilmaz
By Mark Wilson for the Scottish Daily Mail
Posted: 00:44, 20 July 2022 | Updated: 00:44, 20 July 2022
Rangers are exploring a potential move for Besiktas’ highly-rated left-back Ridvan Yilmaz after completing the £4m signing of centre-back Ben Davies.
The 21-year-old Yilmaz already has six senior caps for Turkey. He came through Beşiktaş’s youth system, making his first-team debut in April 2019 and helping them win the 2020-21 league title.
Now entering the final year of his contract with the Istanbul club, he is likely to cost more than £4m if Rangers pursue a permanent deal.
Ridvan Yilmaz has already broken into the Turkish national team and won the league title
With Calvin Bessey set to complete his £20m move to Ajax, the Ibrox club have already secured Davies from Liverpool in a move worth an initial £3m plus a further £1m in add-ons.
This transfer has received firm approval from Jurgen Klopp, who believes it is the “perfect” move for a defender nearing his prime.
Davies was confirmed as Giovani van Bronckhorst’s sixth summer signing shortly before kick-off in last night’s 3-1 friendly win against West Ham.
Davies, who has signed a four-year deal at Ibrox, has not made a senior appearance at Anfield since being signed for £500,000 from Preston and spent last season at Sheffield United.
However, Liverpool boss Klopp gave a glowing assessment of his character and backed him to great success in Scotland. “It’s a smart recruitment by Giovanni van Bronckhorst,” Klopp said.
“Perfect for all parties. He has an accomplished defender who is entering his peak years and whose character is excellent.
Davies, who previously attracted interest from Celtic before joining Liverpool in February 2021, was delighted to join last season’s Europa League finalists.
He follows John Soutar, Antonio Cholak, Tom Lawrence, Rabbi Matondo and Malik Tillman who were added this summer.
Jurgen Klopp has called Ben Davies a ‘complete defender’ who is ‘entering his peak’
“I’m very excited to be joining Rangers and I’m really looking forward to taking this next step in my career,” Davies said. “It’s a huge club with big ambitions and I can’t wait to get started.”
Van Bronkhorst believes Davies will be an important addition. “Firstly, I am happy that he has joined us,” said the Dutchman, who expects Alfredo Morelos to return to fitness in the “next weeks” and ahead of Kemar Roofe.
“He is a left-footed defender and that is very important for the team. He is very comfortable on the ball, a good passer, a good reader of the game and a good defender.
His time at Liverpool didn’t go the way he wanted. But it happens. When we spoke he was very, very excited to start and be part of Rangers and he will add his qualities as well. We’ll see if he can get minutes over the weekend.
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