Confirmed: Rangers have 'been in touch' for permanent transfer as Clement reveals stance

Philippe Clement has revealed that Rangers have been in talks with Brighton over a permanent deal for Abdallah Sima this summer.

Speaking to Rangers Review (15 July), the club boss admitted that currently “it’s not possible” to do a transfer for the winger as Brighton are demanding too much money to part ways with the Senegal star.

However the manager and player have “been in touch” over the summer and Sima would be open to a return as he “loves the club”, with Gers holding out hope an agreement can be found later in the window.

“I’ve been in touch with him, of course,” Clement says. “He’s like one of my sons. Abda loves the club. Abda loves the way of playing we had last season and his role in that. He loved his teammates and the staff.

“But at the end of the day, Brighton is the owner so it’s all about the money then. At the moment it’s not possible. But we will see along the way if there comes a possibility because we would love to get him back. We will see if it is possible.”

Rangers to sign Abdallah Sima permanently?

The attacking area of the pitch is already considerably weaker this season than it was last season, simply because Sima is no longer part of the squad.

Losing him as well as Fabio Silva and Kemar Roofe means that Clement has got weaker options to choose from, with the only attacking signings so far being Oscar Cortes returning and Hamza Igamane.

But the Moroccan forward won’t be ready to contribute from the start of the campaign as he adapts to Scottish football and a more physical style.

If Sima wants to return to the club then the club should be doing absolutely everything they can to make it happen, considering he was by far one of the best attackers in the country.

It clearly won’t be easy, but hopefully there will be a loan-to-buy deal that can be sorted if it can’t be a permanent deal off the rip. However, it sounds like fans shouldn’t be getting too carried away with the hope.

In other Rangers news, Jack Butland transfer decision made as price tag named.

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