CALVIN BASSEY is likely to stand at the centre of a bidding war with several clubs now expressing serious interest in his services.

Dutch champions Ajax harbour serious intentions of signing the Nigerian international, while Brighton are one of a number of Premier League sides showing a growing interest in the versatile player.

The Dutch outfit are expected to sell left-footed defender Lisandro Martinez to Manchester United for over £40m while Brighton’s £50m-rated Marc Cucurella, who can also play as a left-back or centre-back, is the subject of interest from Manchester City. These deals would mean both clubs are cash rich and in the market for a player with similar qualities.

But they are not the only clubs who have expressed an interest in Bassey, with several other European outfits also targeting the defender. Clubs in Germany and Italy are reportedly monitoring the situation with the powerhouse and could yet made a decisive move.

Rangers Review:

The Rangers Review understands that Rangers will throw out any bids not in excess of £20m for a player that cost just a £300k cross-border fee two summers ago. Sources at the club have long maintained that any package for the player would have to match the £25m Arsenal paid to take Kieran Tierney from Celtic in 2019. That would exceed the club record fee Everton paid for Nathan Patterson in January.

Bassey was signed by Steven Gerrard and initially served as an understudy to left-back Borna Barisic.  However, van Bronckhorst converted the ex-Leicester player into a centre-back after replacing Gerrard last year, maximising his strong physical credentials as an aggressive man-marker.  He starred in Rangers’ Europa League Final penalty shoot-out defeat against Eintracht Frankfurt and was named in the team of the competition.