Brighton Rejects Rangers’ £7.5m Bid for Winger Amario Cozier-Duberry
Brighton & Hove Albion has turned down a £7.5 million offer from Scottish Premiership side Rangers for winger Amario Cozier-Duberry. The 21-year-old impressed on loan at Bolton Wanderers last season, where he netted eight goals and provided 12 assists in 34 appearances, helping his team win the League One play-offs. His strong performance earned him a spot in the League One team of the season.
Cozier-Duberry, who has just under two years left on his contract at the Amex Stadium, has featured prominently in pre-season matches under manager Fabian Hurzeler. However, he remained an unused substitute during Brighton’s recent 1-0 victory against Bologna.
Interest in Cozier-Duberry is also coming from several Championship clubs considering loan moves, along with Rangers being one of a number of clubs keen on securing his services permanently.
In the meantime, Brighton is exploring options for alternative wingers, including Millwall’s Femi Azeez, 25, who could be available for the right price before the transfer window closes on September 3.
The bid would have marked Rangers’ second-highest transfer fee in over two decades. The Glasgow club made a £8 million investment for forward Youssef Chermiti last summer, while historical signings Michael Ball and Tore Andre Flo also commanded larger fees in the early 2000s.
Rangers recently ended a four-match winless streak to claim a 5-1 victory over St Mirren in the Scottish Cup but are out of the Europa League following a defeat to Polish club Jagiellonia Białystok. They have since dropped into the Conference League play-offs.
New manager Derek McInnes, who took over from Hearts this summer, acknowledged the need for squad reinforcements after the two-legged defeat. He stated that strengthening the defense and wide areas is a priority, especially after losing a player of Youssef’s caliber to an ACL injury.
Brighton have rejected a £7.5m bid from Scottish Premiership club Rangers for winger Amario Cozier-Duberry.
The 21-year-old enjoyed a successful season on loan at Bolton Wanderers last season as they won the League One play-offs, scoring eight goals and providing 12 assists in 34 appearances and earning a place in the League One team of the season.
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Cozier-Duberry, who has less than two years remaining on his contract at Amex Stadium, has featured heavily in pre-season under Fabian Hurzeler at Brighton but was an unused substitute for the 1-0 win at home to Bologna on Saturday.
He continues to have interest from Championship clubs over a potential loan move, while Rangers are among a number of teams believed to be interested in signing him permanently.
Brighton, meanwhile, are looking at alternative wingers including Millwall’s Femi Azeez, 25, who is deemed available at the right price and likely to leave the Championship club before the transfer deadline on 3 September.
The offer would have been Rangers’ second-highest transfer fee in more than 20 years. The Glasgow club paid £8m for forward Youssef Chermiti last summer, while Michael Ball and Tore Andre Flo were signed for larger fees in the early 2000s.
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Rangers ended a four-game winless run at the start of the season with a 5-1 victory over St Mirren in the Scottish Cup on Sunday but they are out of the Europa League having lost to Polish club Jagiellonia Białystok and have dropped into the Conference League play-offs.
After the defeat over two legs new manager Derek McInnes, who joined from Hearts in the summer, admitted his squad needed “help”, with the club said to be targeting full-backs and forwards.
He added: “Strengthening defensively, strengthening in wide areas was a priority. But obviously losing a player of Youssef’s ability [to an ACL injury], we need to look at that one as well.”
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