Xavier Mbuyamba 'deserves' Rangers transfer as Volendam star tipped for superstardom
Xavier Mbuyamba has been told that he is more than ready for a big summer move - amid talk of a potential transfer to Rangers.
The Dutch defender - who was once compared to Virgil van Dijk - has just helped FC Volendam return to the Eredivisie by winning the second division title.
The 23-year-old was previously linked to Celtic back in 2023 and is also said to be attracting interest from clubs in England and in Europe.
Reports in the Netherlands claim that Volendam will be willing to sell Mbuyamba for as little as £850,000, with the centre back into the final year of his contract.
And his teammate and club captain Henk Veerman is in no doubt that the former Netherlands youth international can go onto bigger things elsewhere.
He told ESPN: "I would absolutely love for him to make it. He works hard every day and has made a huge difference in recent seasons. That deserves a good transfer, and I hope he gets it."
Meanwhile Rangers have been handed a boost ahead of their Champions League second round qualifier showdown against Panathinaikos, with one of the Greek giant's key men ruled out with a serious knee injury.
Russell Martin will take charge of his first competitive game as Gers manager when they host The Shamrock next Tuesday, with the return leg at the Athens Olympic Stadium coming eight days later.
And Panathinaikos will be without defender Giorgos Kyriakopoulos, who is set to go under the knife after suffering a cruciate knee injury in training. The Greece international is expected to be side-lined for several months.
Panathinaikos could also throw goalkeeper Alban Lafont straight into the fray at Ibrox following his loan arrival from Nantes.
You can get all the news you need on our dedicated Rangers and Celtic pages, and sign up to our newsletters to make sure you never miss a beat throughout the season.
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