Rangers have opening transfer bid for ex Hearts ace 'rejected' as club make signing stance emphatically clear
Former Jambos left-back has established himself as a key player for the Greek Super League leaders
Rangers have seen an opening offer for AEK Athens defender James Penrice turfed out, according to reports in Greece.
The Ibrox side are hopeful of landing the former Hearts left-back on loan this month to provide stiff competition for young Brentford prospect Jayden Meghoma, who is currently head coach Danny Rohl’s only senior option in that position.
Penrice has settled well in to life in Greece since his summer move and it appears the Super League outfit are reluctant to let him go just six months after signing him for around £2 million.
However, Rangers have made their interest clear in bringing the 27-year-old back to Scotland and are now pushing ahead to make a deal happen.
According to well-respected Greek transfer specialist Giannis Chorianopoulos, the Light Blues first formal bid - believed to be in the same region as the fee AEK paid to secure Penrice’s services - was immediately ‘rejected’.
Penrice, who also counts Partick Thistle and Livingston among his former clubs, has made 24 appearances in all competitions for AEK so far. He has established himself as a key player under boss Marko Nikolic and it remains unclear if the player would be open to making a quickfire return to Scottish football.
Gers boss Rohl has pinpointed the ex-Jags youth starlet as an ideal candidate to solve a troublesome area in which the German has had to rely heavily on the inexperienced Meghoma during the first half of the season.
Canadian international Derek Cornelius is capable of slotting in to that position but is currently sidelined through injury and is not likely to be back available for a number of weeks.
Rangers are expected to return to the negotiating table after their initial approach for Penrice fell short and it’s understood that AEK officials have informed the Govan side that even if the DOUBLED their offer, they still wouldn’t be interested in selling one of their top assets.
AEK sit top of the Greek top-flight and are eyeing their first league title in three years.