RUMOURED links between Rangers and Erik Botheim always appeared improbable from the outset, and the Norwegian’s imminent next move reveals why.

As reported by Fabrizio Romano, the 22-year-old will join Serie A side Salernitana and complete his medical later this week in Italy.

Turkish media recently reported that the attacker requested a €2.5million salary in addition to a €2m signing bonus during negotiations with Galatasaray.

To borrow the judgement of my colleague Jonny McFarlane: “The wages he was able to secure in a top 5 league far outstrip what could be sensibly paid by a Scottish club.”

Football’s ever-expanding growth disparity is not moving in a trajectory that favours Rangers, who aren't able to rely on a lavish TV deal like their English counterparts.

That’s why Aaron Ramsey’s signing felt so significant in January, despite the Welshman’s unfulfilled time in Scotland. The loan arrival from Juventus was very much an outlier in terms of the business Ross Wilson and his team would usually undertake. It relied on circumstance to secure a player of his stature, with a parent club ready to help supplement wages.

The reality is that even though Botheim is not going to be on 'Ramsey wages' in Italy, securing his services would've still required significant outlay. Even if he was a 'free agent' there is no such thing as a 'free transfer'.

Even when a player runs down his deal to move for free, significant financial outlays remain for the next club. You can guarantee the agent will obtain a hefty signing-on fee for their client, often along with enhanced bonuses and wages given the lack of fee required. 

Take Botheim’s reported wage demands in Turkey. €2m as a signing-on fee before €5m in wages every two years. That's not cheap.

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Furthermore. Botheim’s situation is more nuanced than your usual free agent case. Having moved from Bodo/Glimt to FC Kradonspor in early 2022 for €6.5million, the player ripped up his contract shortly after following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

He didn’t run down his deal, as revealed by the player's agent Jim Solbaksen, the attacker felt he had “no other choice” but to exercise 'just cause'.

Solbaksen said on Instagram: “Erik Botheim has terminated his employment contract with FC Krasnodar with immediate effect.

“This has been done with ‘just cause’ and in accordance with Article 14 of the FIFA regulations.

“Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine is still on-going and in all the circumstances, Erik considered he has no other choice.”

Despite Botheim ripping up his Krasnodar contract, his former club could theoretically dispute the ‘just cause’ contract termination. Meaning, if successful with their appeal, the Russian club would be owed the money of a transfer fee, which would presumably be tied into Botheim’s subsequent contract.

In a similar vein, Russian authorities are set to contest the validity of FIFA’s ruling to expel the nation from international football at the Court of Arbitration for Sport this month, as reported by Associated Press.

While Rangers are a far bigger club than many of the English Premier League’s weaker outfits, they can’t compete with the wages on offer down south or in Europe's big five leagues. Salernitana are not a household name in Italian football, but given their participation in the Italian top flight, they're able to offer a higher financial package.

On the other hand, Rangers boast a unique package of privileges that can’t be rivalled by wages. Old Firm matches, European football, the pressure and reward of representing a 150-year-old establishment. Do you think John Lundstram was regretting his decision to spend his peak years at Ibrox rather than down south when his own version of ‘Heaven is a place on earth' was being sung from all angles earlier this year?

Connor Goldson's story is similar, having rejected contract offers with a higher salary to sign a new four-year deal with the club earlier this summer.

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“I've got used to winning games most weeks and I love that feeling,” he said after agreeing to stay, citing the demands at Ibrox which are hard to find elsewhere.

“I want to keep on winning and I want to keep on trying to take this club to the next level."

Goldson and Lundstram could well earn more money away from Ibrox, but know they’d be hard-pressed to encounter a similarly challenging, and in equal measure rewarding, environment.

At the other end of the scale, players such as Calvin Bassey and Joe Aribo demonstrate why Rangers can prove such an attractive proposition for young players.

Would Bassey have been starring in a European Final if he’d stayed down south? Would Aribo have established himself as a seasoned international footballer if he’d followed Lee Bowyer’s advice and avoided the Scottish Premiership in favour of the English Championship?

All this to say, Rangers can of course attract players who are offered more money elsewhere, but not always.

While seemingly signing a prolific forward who'd only recently moved for nearly €7m months earlier appears a hugely attractive deal from the outside, any legitimate attempt to bring Botheim to Scotland would have required significant financial outlay. 

As the old saying goes, nothing in life is free.