BBC SPORT | BLACKBURN ROVERS | Blackburn agree Tugay fee

Premiership-bound Blackburn Rovers have agreed a deal with Rangers to bring Turkish international Tugay Kerimoglu to Ewood Park.

Rovers manager Graeme Souness has agreed a �1.3m fee with the Ibrox club and Tugay's personal terms have also been met.

All that is now required to complete the deal is a work permit for the midfielder.

Blackburn chief executive John Williams said: "We have moved the whole deal forward, but everything is subject to the granting of a work permit.

I have worked with Tugay for a year and I'm sure he'd do very, very well for us

Blackburn boss Graeme Souness

"We are applying for that, so nothing will be fully settled for about two weeks."

Tugay, who was captain at Galatasaray under Souness before his �1.3m move to Ibrox, has been unable to hold down a regular first-team place at Rangers.

But Souness has no doubts about the quality of the player he is signing.

Souness said: "I can understand Dick Advocaat. He maybe felt that young Fergie and Tugay were too similar and could not be in the same team together.

"But I have worked with Tugay for a year and I'm sure he'd do very, very well for us.

"He's an international player with lots of experience and I rate him extremely highly.

"He would give us something I feel we didn't have last year and we will need in the Premiership.

Eyal Berkovic
Rovers want Berkovic in permanent deal
"I think he would a real asset for us."

Tugay fell out with the Turkish manager following a fit of petulance after he was substituted during Euro 2000.

He therefore does not meet the international cap requirements set by the Department of Employment for a work permit.

That was the sticking point when an attempt was made to sign the player in December according to Blackburn, although Rangers say the player rejected the switch for personal reasons.

Blackburn are also on the verge of signing Clyde defender Gordon Greer, who impressed Souness during a trial.

A fee of �200,000, depending on appearances, has been agreed for the 20-year-old centre-back.

But there is no further movement on the possible deal with Celtic that would convert the loan of Israeli international midfielder Eyal Berkovic into a permanent move to Blackburn.


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