With every passing day of the transfer window, it seems more and more likely that the Scottish Cup final was the last time that we will see Calvin Bassey in a Rangers jersey.
Teams in the Premier League, Bundesliga and now Serie A are all said to be eyeing a move for the 22-year old powerhouse and the £25million reported valuation would be small change to clubs from the top five leagues.
It would be easy for me to say that he would be worth every penny, however, when a Champions League winner and former Juventus stalwart compares him to a modern day great of the art of defending then you have to pay attention, even more so when it’s a player who also graced the hallowed Ibrox turf – Sergio Porrini.
The Albania assistant manager has claimed that the defender is destined for the top and that he isn’t surprised in the interest, as reported by The Daily Record:
“I am not surprised that Aston Villa and other top clubs are looking at him. I know there has been Serie A interest and a lot of teams will be wanting to sign him this summer.
“Any club who has the budget will be trying to get him because he is a top, young defender who will only get better. The good thing for Rangers is that he is still under contract and if they are to sell him it would take a lot of money to get him.
“I have been really impressed with Bassey. He has been really impressive this season. He caught my eye especially in the big European games and for me he was as good as anyone in the Europa League final. He is quick. physically strong and very committed. For me, he is a real defender.
“You have the defender who is very good on the ball and the other is more like a Giorgio Chiellini who is very strong but also has the quality to play. I think Bassey falls into that later category.”
It’s a big shout to compare Bassey to Chiellini but I understand the point that Porrini is trying to make in that the Nigerian is aggressive in his approach to stopping the opposition be it through 1 v 1s, or how he presses forwards, that he is so inexperienced but has also shown what he is capable of means that teams will look at him as having the ability to get even better.
Normally, I’d be worried about so many teams being interested in one of our players, however, Bassey’s stock will never be higher having starred in two finals before doing the same for his country on international duty and the more teams that are interested will only drive his price tag in one direction.