34-Year-Old Rangers Star Set To Leave For Saudi: Will It Affect The Club?

34-Year-Old Rangers Star Set To Leave For Saudi: Will It Affect The Club?

Rangers captain James Tavernier looks ready to swap Scottish football for the Saudi Pro League once his contract runs out this summer, with a return to England now looking unlikely. Football Insider broke the news, and journalist Pete O’Rourke confirmed on the Transfer Insider podcast that while Saudi interest is real, nothing is set in stone just yet.

Rangers captain Tavernier eyes Saudi move as Ibrox farewell nears

O’Rourke doesn’t see Tavernier dropping back into the Premier League at this stage of his career, suggesting the 34-year-old is looking for a fresh challenge, either in Europe or the Middle East. Panathinaikos has popped up as a serious European option, with Rafa Benitez reportedly interested in bringing him to Greece.

However, Benitez’s own future at the club is up in the air, which might stall a deal and leave the door open for Saudi or Turkish sides. Tavernier is currently one of Rangers’ top earners at around £30,000 a week, and while the club initially hoped to extend his stay, his age has made a new deal less likely. He’s set to leave Ibrox as a free agent in June after eleven years and nearly 500 games, moving on as the highest-scoring defender in the history of British football.

“There’s nothing set in stone with Tavernier. There’s been interest from Saudi Arabia.

“Obviously, he’s announced that he’s leaving Rangers after a really successful 11-year spell at the club.

“I don’t envisage that he will make the move down to England in the Premier League, I think probably at this stage of his career.

“Tavernier himself would prefer a new challenge, so maybe a move to Europe or the Saudi Pro League, where there has been interest in the past.