Glasgow Rangers officially confirmed their latest addition of the summer transfer window with the unveiling of loanee left-back Jayden Meghoma on Sunday.
The 19-year-old defender, who spent time on loan at Preston North End last season, has joined on loan from Brentford with a view to making the left-back position his own.
Brazilian left-back Jefte is reportedly closing in on a £6m move to Palmeiras, a year on from his move to the club from Fluminense, which will leave a vacant spot in the starting line-up.
The 21-year-old dynamo started 30 of his 33 appearances in the Scottish Premiership last season, per Sofascore, which means that Meghoma could have a big role to play as his replacement.
European club planning talks to sign Rangers defender
Jefte may not be the only left-back to move on from Glasgow before the end of the summer transfer window, though, as a European side are keen on signing an Ibrox flop.
According to Sporx, Bestikas have identified Rangers left-back Ridvan Yilmaz as one of their top targets to bolster their defence for the 2025/26 campaign.
The report claims that the Turkish giants are planning to hold talks with the Gers this week to discuss a potential deal to bring the Turkey international back to the club.
It remains to be seen whether they want to do a loan or a permanent transfer for the full-back, but the Light Blues have reportedly set a €5m (£4m) asking price for Yilmaz.
Why Rangers should sell Ridvan Yilmaz
Rangers should look to cash in on the left-footed flop during these upcoming talks with Besiktas because he is even worse than Jefte and should be moved on in the coming days.
The Turkey international did not do enough on the pitch in the Premiership last season to prove that he is a better option than the Brazilian gem at left-back, which was reflected in his game time, or lack thereof.
Yilmaz only played 17 times in the top-flight, starting 11 of those games, and has not been involved in a single matchday squad in the 2025/26 campaign, per Sofascore, possibly down to the lack of quality in his performances under Philippe Clement and Barry Ferguson.
|
24/25 Premiership |
Ridvan Yilmaz |
Jefte |
|---|---|---|
|
Appearances |
17 |
33 |
|
Assists |
2 |
4 |
|
Cross accuracy |
20% |
28% |
|
Tackles + interceptions per game |
1.8 |
3.3 |
|
Clearances per game |
1.4 |
2.9 |
|
Duels won per game |
3.2 |
5.5 |
|
Aerial duel success rate |
0% |
57% |
As you can see in the table above, Jefte played almost twice as many matches and significantly outperformed him with his offensive and defensive contributions at left-back, which shows that the former Fluminense man offers way more to the team at both ends of the pitch.
The Brazilian defender has also started four times in the current campaign, whilst Yilmaz has not played a single minute, and Max Aarons has been utilised at left-back ahead of the £4m-rated flop.
This shows that the 24-year-old dud is not a part of Russell Martin’s plans, as further evidenced by the signing of Meghoma, and that is why the Light Blues should be comfortable in allowing him to move on from Ibrox amid this interest from Besiktas.
If they are willing to allow Jefte to leave to sign for Palmeiras, they should also be willing to cash in on a player who is even worse than him and is further down the pecking order at this moment in time, because he does not appear to be part of the long-term plans at Ibrox.
However, it is now down to Besiktas to put an offer on the table that is attractive enough to convince Rangers to green-light an exit for Yilmaz before the deadline at the start of next month.
