Madjid Bougherra has told Rangers he won’t be at Ibrox next season.
It’s understood that the Algerian defender has sent a letter to the club by recorded delivery, informing them of his decision to invoke Article 17 of FIFA’s regulation for the Status and Transfer of players.
Otherwise known as the Webster Ruling — after former Rangers defender Andy Webster, who became the first player to take advantage of the legislation when he walked out on Hearts in 2006 — it states that any player who is aged 28 or over can buy himself out of his contract two years after the deal was signed.
This represents a significant change of stance from Bougherra, who will be 29 in October and joined Rangers from Charlton Athletic for £2.5million in July, 2008.
He had previously stated during Rangers’ title runin he would be happy to play out another season at Ibrox in the final year of his deal, but would not sign a new contract beyond that. With this latest move, he can now effectively buy his freedom for his annual salary, which means Rangers would receive £1m for — or from — him.
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