Giovanni van Bronckhorst has a point to prove after being unceremoniously sacked by Rangers in November 2022.
The Dutch coach performed the seemingly impossible by guiding Rangers to a glorious if not devastating Europa League Final defeat to Eintracht Frankfurt.
Also lifting the Scottish Cup and – rather miraculously in retrospect – getting Rangers to the Champions League group stages, Gio left Ibrox with his CV reinforced.
What’s more Giovanni van Bronckhorst did all of this as the post-COVID purse strings tightened and Rangers’ flailing player trading model failed to get off the ground.
But now Van Bronckhorst has reportedly set his sights on his most expensive signing at Ibrox as the Dutchman finally takes charge of a new team over 18 months after leaving Glasgow.
Van Bronckhorst targets Rangers transfer
Giovanni van Bronckhorst has, after protracted negotiations, finally taken the reins at Turkish club Besiktas.
The ex-Barcelona and Arsenal star is tasked with rebuilding the Istanbul giants into genuine title contenders and according to one report he’s already casting glances towards Govan.
One of the biggest gripes of the Van Bronckhorst era at Rangers concerns a perceived lack of transfer spending but there was a substantial amount splashed on one Ridvan Yilmaz.
The young Turkish international joined Rangers in a £3.4m rising to £5m deal in 2022 but the left-back struggled to settle under Gio with injuries very much still interrupting his Rangers stint.
Now, according to local outlet Türkiye Gazetesi, Bestikas have already held talks with Ridvan Yilmaz over a return to the club 24 months on from when he quit Turkish football.
The report claims that Giovanni van Bronckhorst has personally given his thumbs up over a deal to bring his former Rangers star to the Super Lig.
There was talk of a return to Turkey in January of course.
Besiktas’s city rivals Galatasaray reportedly had a bid thrown out before Yilmaz emerged as a key player under Philippe Clement.
Now with veteran defender Borna Barisic leaving and Brazilian left-back Jefte coming in, Rangers are going in a different direction in the position this season.
There have even been links to left-sided Chilean defender Thomas Galdames even if they’ve gone a little cold ahead of the Copa America.
What does Ridvan Yilmaz say about it all?
Well earlier in the summer the player’s agent insisted that the diminutive left-back is eager to make a proper go of it in Europe and will not be returning to Turkey.
Herald & Times journalist Chris Jack has also previously suggested Yilmaz is not for sale.
But everyone at Ibrox has a price and well, it just depends if Besiktas and Giovanni van Bronckhorst are willing to meet Rangers’ valuation.
Ex-Rangers manager wants Yilmaz
Now, obviously the successes of the Van Bronckhorst era do somewhat cover up what was a disastrous domestic downturn under the Dutchman.
The former Ibrox midfielder took over Rangers with a seven point advantage over Celtic and blew it as Ange Postecoglou’s expensively assembled squad regained domestic dominance.
When Rangers stuttered the following season, the ex-Ibrox midfielder’s position was untenable.
Say what you want about the manner of Michael Beale’s appointment – Gio has already – but the Dutchman failed to inspire confidence on the domestic stage at Ibrox.
Now ready to face the pitchside music once more, Rangers fans will be wishing their former midfielder all the best as Besiktas.
But if that means poaching Ridvan Yilmaz then the Dutchman and his Turkish employers best be prepared to stump up the funds.
