Panathinaikos captain Dimitris Kourbelis continues to be linked with Rangers but the latest reports from Greece appear to be cool on the prospects of a switch to Scotland.
Some speculation has claimed that the Greek international midfielder has been earmarked as a potential replacement for Ryan Jack but that appears to be unfounded.
Meanwhile, Rangers as well as Celtic are said to have scouted the Athens derby at the weekend between Olympiacos and Panathinaikos with eyes cast on Kourbelis and his teammate Fotis Ioannidis in addition to Olympiacos’ In-Beom Hwang.
A report today from Sport24 stated that there is a very good chance of the midfielder remaining in the Greek capital:
“Dimitris Kourbelis’ main priority is to continue his career at Panathinaikos after the summer, however the fact that his current contract with the Clover ends in four months from now, has made him an attractive case for several teams.”
“A strange proof is the fact that last Saturday people from both Celtic and Rangers were in the stands of Karaiskakis Stadium to watch him live, with the Blues of Glasgow said to be even “warmer” for the player compared to their eternal rival.”
Viable
With Kourbelis becoming a free agent at the end of this campaign, it creates a talking point given the links (as above) that have emerged.
The 29-year old is able to talk to interested clubs now but again, we hear that his focus is on agreeing new terms with Pana.
There may be something to this story but it doesn’t fit the profile of the type of player that Michael Beale would usually be targeting as well as the fact that he has not plied his trade outside of Greece at all in his career to date.
If Jack is to leave Ibrox this Summer, the club could do with replacing him in terms of the ‘homegrown’ quotas for European competition, then there is the question of quality – is this the type of smart signing that will drive up standards and contribute to closing the gap on Celtic?
Doubtful.