Ex-Rangers hero made available for 'reduced' fee as European interest emerges in six-goal Ibrox ace

The 29-year-old playmaker was a popular figure during his three-season stay at Ibrox, winning the Scottish Premiership, Scottish League Cup, and Scottish Cup during his time with the club. He is perhaps best remembered for scoring the opening goal in the Europa League final defeat to Eintracht Frankfurt at the end of the 2021/22 campaign.

Having played a crucial role in Rangers’ Europa League run, Aribo’s time in Glasgow was brought to an end when newly-promoted Southampton paid a reported fee of £6million in August 2022. He was unable to halt the club’s relegation from the English Premier League in his debut season at the club, though.

The midfielder made 35 appearances the following campaign as Southampton won promotion back to the top flight via the EFL Championship playoffs under Russell Martin. However, he was once again unable to help the Saints avoid the drop, suffering his second relegation at St Mary’s last season. Aribo has barely featured for the south coast club this season, though, playing just 111 minutes of first team football, and will reportedly be allowed to depart next month with his contract expiring in the summer.

Often left out of the squad by former Southampton head coach Will Still, the ex-Charlton Athletic academy product was given a reprieve by his replacement, Tonda Eckert, but has fallen down the pecking order yet again. He has not featured since a three-minute cameo in the 3-2 defeat to West Bromwich Albion on December 9.

Southampton are now prepared to offload the international midfielder for a reduced fee of £1.5million, in the hope they can recoup a transfer fee, rather than lose him for free in June. Interest has already emerged from the Turkish Pro League, with both Trabzonspor and Goztepe ready to launch an offer for Aribo when the window re-opens next month.

Meanwhile, Rangers are bracing themselves for January interest in star forward Djeidi Gassama, with Villarreal showing ‘strong interest’ in the Frenchman, who has scored six goals for the club since signing from Sheffield Wednesday in the summer.

Italian transfer expert Rudy Galetti claims that the Spanish outfit is eyeing up a potential move for the 23-year-old, and leads a list of ‘several important clubs’ that are mulling over an offer for the forward, identifying the ‘dynamic, fast and creative’ star as someone who fits perfectly with their style of play. Gassama signed a four-year contract at Ibrox upon his arrival in the summer, meaning they’d be in a strong position should any bid come in next month.

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