Rangers star’s agent makes transfer statement as he squashes ‘talks’ over summer exit

Re-energised Ridvan Yilmaz has “no plans” of leaving Rangers to head back to Turkey this summer, his agent has confirmed.

The Turkish defender opened up on his Ibrox future last week by reaffirming his desire to stay at the club after stepping up to become manager Philippe Clement’s first-choice left-back for much of last season.

However, the recent arrival of highly-rated Brazilian Jefte as a direct replacement for outgoing Borna Barisic has fuelled further speculation he could be on his way out of Glasgow.

Yilmaz has been frequently linked with a return to his home country amid prolonged interest from Galatasaray and his previous club Besiktas - now managed by Giovanni van Bronckhorst, who is already targeting an ambitious double swoop for Gers skipper James Tavernier and Tom Lawrence.

According to Turkish outlet Sabah Spor, Besiktas had started talks with a view to bringing back the man they sold to Rangers for £3.5m in the summer of 2022 (rising to £5m with add-ons). Earlier this year, he was the subject of a January bid in the form of a loan with an option to buy for £3.4m - an offer that was swiftly rejected at the time.

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A fresh report stated: "Beşiktaş is preparing an alternative for the possible departure of Arthur Masuaku, who Nantes is interested in. The black and whites started contacts for their former player Rıdvan Yılmaz, who played for Rangers."

However, the player’s representative Necdet Ergezen has told Fanatik that a move will NOT be happening any time soon as he backed up Yilmaz’s stance that he will remain in Scotland. He admitted: “Ridvan’s career plan is to continue in Europe. There are no plans to return to the Super Lig in the near to medium term.”

Yilmaz - who scored twice and contributed one assist in 32 appearances across all competitions last season - has also received interest Serie A outfit Hellas Verona.