Rangers join Man Utd and Arsenal for transfer talks as Nils Koppen ramps up summer prep with football's elite

Rangers have the advantage of a post-Brexit transfer market reality as Nils Koppen jets out to Italy for a summit centred around transfer talks.

Alongside the likes of Arsenal, Man Utd and football heavyweights from across the globe, the Ibrox director of football recruitment is in Italy this week for a TransferRoom summit. The event taking place in Rome over Monday and Tuesday will bring together 300 clubs and over 50 agencies from around the world who will be unofficially start their summer transfer window.

Partick Thistle, Hamilton, Ross County, Motherwell and Hibs are the other SPFL sides heading to the event alongside Rangers. Since its launch in 2017, TransferRoom has facilitated more than 4,500 transfers of pro players. More than 750 clubs from 60 countries and 100 Leagues currently utilise the platform.

The online marketplace tells club decision-makers which players are available and what other clubs are looking for, and they can communicate through a messaging system, while also pitching players to other clubs searching for a specific profile. Clubs can also use the summit as a networking opportunity for things like friendlies and site visits.

Post-Brexit rules preventing English clubs from signing foreign players under the age of 18 and having to use a strict points-based system sicne 2021 have saw Scottish clubs become a popular gateway into UK football, with TransferRoom founder and CEO Jonas Ankersen says Scottish sides have successfully utilised the advantage.

He told the Edinburgh Evening News: “Scottish clubs have utilised TransferRoom well to market themselves as a preferable opportunity for foreign players. They are able to quickly scan through relevant players from different emerging markets using our search tool and get in contact with decision makers from clubs and agencies worldwide.

“Scottish clubs can broaden their market reach by gaining key market intelligence from decision-makers at top clubs globally. The in-person meetings allow them to get business done quickly ahead of Summer and beat competition they may be facing from opposition with bigger budgets in Europe.”

One deal Rangers did through the platform is Oscar Cortes. Colombian agency Top Athlete Management helped broker the loan move from Lens until the end of this season after talks with the Ibrox club . Tomas Sarimento, the owner and president, believes that TransferRoom can help the agency give other stars from Colombia a European breakout.

He said: "Our main focus is finding the prominent new young talent in Colombia and looking to export them to the most prominent markets here in this side of the world.

"I think joining TransferRoom as a Trusted Agent is very much to position us in the further thinking of the football market as a whole. I believe that TransferRoom represents more of the cutting edge of where the market is evolving to, and it really leads you to sitting with the big boys.”