Rangers rue transfer failure as Arsenal and Man Utd chase former target

Cameron Smith

• 2 Nov 2025 15:36 CST
• 3 min read

News

Rangers have been forced to rue their failure to finalise a deal for Karl Etta Eyong this summer.

The Scottish giants were heavily linked with a move for the 22-year-old before the start of the 2025-26 campaign and reports in Spain revealed that a loan bid was rejected by Villarreal before his eventual transfer to Levante took place on Deadline Day.

Current ETV

Karl Etta Eyong

F (C)

Levante

Karl Etta Eyong

F (C)

Levante

€7.4M

ETV Range

€6.3M - €8.6M

View full profile

Club-to-club talks took place between Rangers and Villarreal, as per TEAMtalk, however an agreement couldn’t be reached and Etta Eyong joined Levante for a bargain fee of €3 million instead.

Since his move to Julian Calero’s side, the Cameroon international has established himself as one of the most exciting young strikers in world football.

The 22-year-old has scored five goals in seven La Liga appearances for Levante, including one against Real Madrid, and his form has attracted the interest of a host of elite European clubs.

Rangers rue Karl Etta Eyong failure

Barcelona are eager to trigger Etta Eyong’s release clause, which reportedly stands at €30m for clubs in Spain and €40m for anyone else, while Arsenal and Manchester United are the frontrunners for his signature in the Premier League.

Both clubs have identified the Levante centre forward as a possible addition for 2026, with Arsenal potentially set to lose Gabriel Jesus and Man Utd eager to land a replacement for the wantaway Joshua Zirkzee.

Rangers, on the other hand, have endured a torrid start to the new season and their failure to land Etta Eyong looks like a major error.

The Ibrox giants sacked Russell Martin on 5 October following a dismal start to the 2025-26 campaign and long-serving defender James Tavernier is currently their top scorer in the Scottish Premiership with four strikes so far this season.

Meanwhile, summer signings Youssef Chermiti and Bojan Miovski, who are both centre forwards, only have a combined three goals in 23 games across all competitions this term.

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