Calvin Bassey could be heading for the exit door at Ajax just one year after joining the Dutch giants, but Rangers won’t net a sell-on windfall.
Reports emerged this afternoon that the 23-year-old is closing in on a move to Brighton and Hove Albion.
The English Premier League side were interested in Bassey last summer but they look set to finally land their man for a fee in the region of €20 million.
Rangers received a record transfer fee when selling Bassey to Ajax. As the Rangers Review reported last summer, the Ibrox club negotiated a €22m guaranteed price plus a further €5m in potential add-ons.
There was also a 10% sell-on agreed, but that would only be activated if Ajax sold Bassey for a higher fee than than the initial sale price (€22m).
Therefore, Rangers won’t net any financial windfall from Bassey’s mooted departure to Brighton as the reported fee is lower than what Ajax paid last summer.
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The final fee that Rangers will receive from Bassey’s sale - around £19m - remains far in excess of the club’s previous record, when Nathan Patterson moved to Everton for a package of £16.5m.
Bassey's sale represented a massive profit for Rangers after the versatile defender arrived from Leicester City for a development fee of around £230,000.
Despite starting the 2021/22 season as back-up to Borna Barisic, Bassey earned a starting role under Giovanni van Bronckhorst and excelled on the run to the Europa League final.
Bassey made 39 appearances for Ajax in all competitions last season and returned to Ibrox in the Champions League group stages.
Bassey bought a gift for former manager van Bronckhorst ahead of the clash in November and he admitted it was 'nice' to be back.
He said: "It’s a nice feeling being back in Glasgow. It’s nice to see familiar faces but it’s a weird feeling as well.
"Tomorrow night I will just lock in and get focused on the game. Obviously, I’m an Ajax player now and for me, it’s important for us to get the win. That’s what I’m focused on."
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