Champions League rivals enter fierce bidding war for Cyriel Dessers as Rangers scramble to seal transfer

Panathinaikos are considering making an official move for Cyriel Dessers as interest from AEK Athens appears to have reached an impasse. The summer transfer window has seen the Rangers striker repeatedly linked with a switch to Greece, with AEK going so far as to agree personal terms worth £30,000 a week with the player.

Despite this, their initial £4.5 million bid was turned down by Rangers, who are determined to stick to their valuation of the Nigerian international. While AEK have not yet returned with a new offer, they are closely monitoring the situation, knowing that the transfer deadline is fast approaching.

Now, Panathinaikos are expected to challenge AEK for Dessers’ signature. Greek sources indicate that the Greens see Dessers as the perfect replacement for Fotis Ioannidis, who is reportedly set for a move to Leeds United. With Panathinaikos preparing for a Europa League campaign, their interest in strengthening the attack has intensified.

Ironically, Dessers was involved in Rangers’ victory over Panathinaikos in the Champions League qualifiers just last month—a result which eliminated the Greek side from the competition. However, he has missed Rangers’ last three matches due to a knee injury picked up against Viktoria Plzen but has traveled with the squad to Brugge and could feature in the upcoming match.

Rangers manager Russell Martin has addressed the transfer rumors, acknowledging that there is interest in his striker but commending Dessers’ professionalism amid the speculation. Martin stated: “I’ll go back to Cyriel again. He’s worked really hard to get fit, hasn’t quite been fit. He’ll probably be fit for Wednesday. So whilst he’s made it really clear what his intention would be or what his desire would be, there’s been no problem, none. So he trains properly, he’s performed with the team, been great. But everyone’s different, every human being’s different. Cyriel is quite experienced, some of the guys are really young. So the situation should be cleared up in the next 10 days. I’m quite calm about it.”

With the clock ticking down to the transfer deadline, it remains uncertain whether Dessers will stay at Ibrox or make the move to Greece. Both AEK and Panathinaikos appear determined to bolster their attacking options, making Dessers a key figure in the final days of the transfer market.