CALVIN BASSEY is on his way out of Ibrox this summer, as many predicted would be the case following his breakthrough campaign.

Giovanni van Bronckhorst turned the 22-year-old into an aggressive centre-back, harnessing the Nigerian’s explosive power, dominance in duels and willingness to learn. Sitting in the stands just before taking the reigns at Rangers, the manager saw something during a 3-1 League Cup defeat against Hibs that would earn the club serious money down the line.

Speaking earlier this month, van Bronckhorst said: “I always remember the first game we played against Hibs and he had to come in because Leon went off. He came in and the first action he had was pressing on the midfield and he is a serious physical presence. The next day I saw him at the training ground and I remembered that action and I told him ‘that is what I want from you when you play’.”

Eight months on, and following his performance in the Europa League Final, the defender is off to Ajax in a deal worth €27million, which includes a potentially-valuable 10 percent sell-on clause.

The fee exceeds the £16m package Everton paid for Nathan Patterson in January and represents one of the great modern transfer flips, with a £230,000 cross-border fee all it took for Rangers to secure Bassey’s services in 2020.

Alongside the money generated by Joe Aribo’s move to Southampton, and not including the potential pot of Champions League money that could be guaranteed next month, Rangers have turned a remarkable profit.

The financial benefits of both sales are obvious. Additionally, the moves provide a clear example of the player-trading model long referenced by Sporting Director Ross Wilson. Wilson has referenced the importance of selling when the time is right and in the case of Bassey, the club are striking while the iron is still hot.

It's not only direct benefits that follow the sale, however.

Rangers Review:

While Rangers cannot compete with wages offered at the elite level of football, they can offer a unique package. The opportunity to play for an institution that boasts 150 years of history, sample European football, compete in Old Firm games and co-exist in the unique sporting environment that Glasgow offers.

Aribo could have journeyed the conventional Premier League route back in 2019 by impressing in the Championship. Instead, he took what some regarded to be a risk in venturing north and three years later returns to England as an established international that has played in countless European fixtures, won the most important title in Rangers’ history, and played a leading role during the road to Seville.

Bassey required a platform to showcase his ability after struggling to break through at Leicester and has now earned a move to one of European football’s giants in Ajax.

Consider then Malik Tillman, who joined from Bayern Munich last week despite interest from the Premier League, with Rangers negotiating an exclusive purchase option. The Rangers Review understands Tillman’s signature is regarded as a real coup by the club, given how highly Bayern rate his ability and considering the interest from elsewhere.

He will view Rangers as not only a unique place to play regular football, but also a viable shop window to football’s biggest leagues. So too will Rabbi Matondo, the ex-Schalke winger that signed a four-year deal last week.

In a recent interview with Sky Sports, Francesco Strozzi, a scout for Bologna between 2018 and 2021, said this when discussing Scottish football.

"My first thought about Scottish football is that the Scottish Premiership is an incredibly, incredibly underrated league,"

"Scottish football is fast, dynamic and physical, so for Italian clubs who are trying to find young players who have these requirements, I think it is a good league to watch and, right now, not find too much competition for players."

Lewis Ferguson and Josh Doig’s moves to Italy this summer confirm Strozzi’s suspicion. Calvin Ramsey’s transfer to Liverpool does the same. Scottish football is not mercurial, however, recent evidence ranks standards higher than many in this country would concede.

Bassey and Aribo are not only success stories for Rangers’ player-trading model, they are success stories for the club’s ambitions of attracting players that will have options from bigger leagues.

In Bassey’s case particularly, the club have sold at the right time and must now buy smart to ensure the production line remains consistent.