Rangers last night appeared to have missed out on yet another transfer target as Vladan Filipovic, the agent of the Hungary internationalist Roland Juhasz, claimed Anderlecht had reneged on a verbal agreement to release the player should an agreed fee be reached.
Rangers’ bid for the centre-back, according to Filipovic, met that criteria, but the Belgian club have refused to sell, a move the agent said “could ruin Juhasz’s career”.
Rangers will now be able to add only one new player to their squad in time for next week’s Europa League qualifier. Ally McCoist had hoped to add one before last night’s signing deadline, with a further player to be registered before next Thursday’s first leg, away to NK Maribor.
Juhasz said: “I understand that Rangers made a fourth bid, but it still does not appeal to Anderlecht. I heard that Rangers have already offered more than twice as much as the first time.”
His agent went further, giving details of a turnaround that will leave McCoist looking elsewhere for defensive reinforcements.
“Roland will not be going to Rangers and that is Anderlecht’s final decision. We are very disappointed in the management at Anderlecht,” said Filipovic. “When Roland extended his contract a year ago, Anderlecht agreed verbally they would sell him if a certain offer came in. Unfortunately this was not given in writing, but we trusted them. Rangers have offered this amount now but Anderlecht have said no. He is ready for a chance. Scotland would be a step up but this rejection may now ruin his career.”
The arrival of the Australian international midfielder, Matt McKay, meanwhile, is dependent on the 28-year-old being granted a work permit. He has 16 caps, but has begun to feature regularly in the national team this season, which will help his application, and a fee of £320,000 -- it triggers a release clause in his contract, this one in writing -- has been agreed with Brisbane Roar.
McCoist will then be able to add McKay to his Europa League squad, but that would leave him unable to include an additional defender, should he recruit one by the August 17 deadline, with the first leg in Maribor the following evening.
McKay visited Murray Park last Sunday for talks and a medical, and he has joined up with the Australia squad ahead of their friendly against Wales tomorrow night.
“I had an opportunity to go up and have a look at the club -- it’s massive and to go there is pretty special,” McKay said. “There’s nothing sorted yet and I am still waiting on a few things -- we are just talking at the moment. But this is an opportunity I have never had before.”
Another Rangers target, Wesley Verhoek, the ADO Den Haag winger, is to have a medical at Nottingham Forest after the npower Championship club agreed an undisclosed fee for the 24-year-old.
Celtic, meanwhile, are contemplating making a third bid for the goalkeeper Grzegorz Sandiomerski after their latest offer was turned down yesterday by his club Jagiellonia Bialystok. Both Celtic and Genk of Belgium have bid in the region of £1.4m for the Poland internationalist, around £600,000 short of his club’s valuation.
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