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Rangers, Cardif fight for Loovens
Rangers and Cardiff were last night caught up in a war of words over Dutch defender Glenn Loovens.
While Ibrox boss Walter Smith insisted no bid had been tabled for the 24 year old Bluebirds manager Dave Jones declared the light blues had made a '' derogatory '' offer for the former Feyenoord star.[>
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Rangers turned their attention to Loovens after failing to agree personal terms with original £2m target Danny Shittu at Watford.[>
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But while confirming his interest in Loovens, Smith also hit out at reports that his club had offered Rangers top scorer Kris Boyd as part of a package deal to secure the Cardiff stopper.[>
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Although he expects some of his attackers to leave the club this summer --- most likely Daniel Cousin and Jean-Claude Darcheville --the Scottish international won’t be one of them, he stressed.[>
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Smith said: “I don’t want to let him go. I have said that all the time. We have a few strikers just now but I am sure one or two of them will go. But Boyd is not one I would want to let go myself.[>
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“We have been making enquiries but not to the club. “We have been looking to get in another central defender and he (Loovens) is a player who has been recommended and somebody we have taken a look at.[>
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“That is where we are at the present stage. We haven’t taken things any further than that.[>
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Depsite Smith's stance Jones last night blasted Rangers’ "derogatory" approach for Loovens and vowed to fight to keep him at the club.[>
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Speaking from the Championship club’s Portuguese training camp, Jones barked: "What we have been offered regarding Glenn by Rangers is quite derogatory.[>
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"The situation, as far as I am concerned, is that we have no need to sell any of the players we have and that includes Glenn.[>
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"We are aiming to strengthen and build on the squad we already have. I have said that before and that is the way things remain."What I’m not looking to do at this stage is start shipping players out."[>