Rangers have wasted little time trying to solve their long-standing winger problem, and the latest twist in that saga is a “sensational” move to bring back a familiar face. Reports out of Ibrox News suggest the club have launched an £8million approach, with the player in question currently earning more than £2million a year at his current employer. While the identity was kept somewhat under wraps in that initial report, all signs point firmly toward a reunion with Vaclav Cerny, the winger who impressed during his loan spell at Ibrox and has been strongly linked with a permanent return all summer.
Derek McInnes has made no secret of his desire to add more firepower out wide, and while summer arrival Daisuke Yokota has shown promise since joining from Hannover, the manager clearly feels more reinforcements are needed before the window shuts. Cerny fits the profile perfectly given his prior familiarity with the squad and the fact he’s already proven he can perform in Scottish football. The complication lies in the finances: Besiktas, his current club, are said to be holding firm on their £8million valuation, a figure that could prove a sticking point given the wages involved.
That salary detail is significant. Cerny is reportedly on more than £2million annually in Turkey, working out to roughly £40,000 a week, a package Rangers would need to substantially reduce for any deal to make sense financially. Encouragingly for Ibrox hopefuls, the player himself is said to be open to a permanent return and would welcome the move, provided the numbers can be brought down to a sustainable level.
With the transfer deadline approaching, Rangers now face a familiar challenge: turning genuine mutual interest into a workable deal. If the ownership group can find a way to bridge the gap on wages, McInnes could yet get the winger reinforcement he’s been chasing all summer.