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Rangers boss Russell Martin admits he can offer no guarantees that Cyriel Dessers and Hamza Igamane will be part of the club’s Champions League plans.
But the new Ibrox boss is adamant that the forward duo won’t be sold on the cheap amid transfer interest from across Europe.
Dessers was the subject of a failed £4.5million bid from AEK Athens a couple of weeks ago, while Lille are hot on the trail of Igamane.
Speaking after his team opened their pre-season with a 2-2 draw against Club Brugge yesterday, Martin revealed: ‘We turned down a bid a while ago (for Dessers), which was nowhere near the valuation.
‘In terms of the bid (from Lille for Igamane), I’ve not heard anything.’
Rangers’ valuation is believed to be around £6m for Nigerian international striker Dessers. They are also holding firm for a fee in excess of £15m for Igamane, who is due back in training this week after a visa complication.
Hamza Igamane, a target for Lille, is due back in training this week after a visa complication
Rangers striker Cyriel Dessers was the subject of a failed bid by AEK Athens last month
With a Champions League qualifier against Panathinaikos now only a fortnight away, Martin is keen to continue his revamp of the squad.
But, on whether Dessers and Igamane will still be around to play in those games, he said: ‘That’s two weeks away, so I can’t plan for anything in football.
‘Cyriel has just been injured. He had a niggly ankle. He was here today.
‘He’s been desperate to train. He’s needed treatment on his ankle and I’m looking forward to working with him.
‘He will get on the training pitch and start enjoying it. He has not kicked up any fuss, he seems a very good pro and I’ve been told that.
‘Hamza has been red tape. He was due to be back with international players but, at the airport, he didn’t have the right visa.
‘It’s no one’s fault. Things have changed since and he’s got his visa, so he should be in this week.
‘I expect the team to look different in a week, but in a couple of weeks so much can happen in football.
‘I definitely want to do more and probably some players need to move on because the squad is going to look very big and heavy. So it will definitely look different (by the time they play Panathinaikos).’
Reports in Italy have suggested that Rangers could be closing in on a move for Jamie Vardy.
Russell Martin cannot say if Dessers or Igamane will be around for the Panathinaikos game
The former Leicester City striker had been a target for Genoa, only for that deal to fall through and potentially open up the possibility of a move to Rangers.
Asked about that possibility, Martin said: ‘I’ve been asked about so many players. Some are miles away, some on the money. I’m not going to give you an answer. You’ll find out who’s real and who isn’t.’
Martin also provided a positive update on the fitness of John Souttar following surgery on a hernia problem.
It looked at one point like it might be touch and go in terms of Souttar being available for the Champions League qualifiers.
But Martin believes he is well on track and said: ‘Yeah, he’s good. He’s trained the last few days. By the end of the session, he looked exhausted, which is what we want.
‘But he’s reacting really well to his operation and wants to train. So he’ll be back in properly this week and he’ll play next weekend (friendly behind closed doors).’
