Bates agrees Hamburg deal

DAVID BATES will exit Rangers to move to Germany this summer after securing a four-year deal with Hamburg SV. The 21-year-old centre-back — currently sidelined by an ankle injury sustained in last month’s Old Firm game — is out of contract at Ibrox at the end of the season. Talks over

extending his stay failed to reach an agreement after Rangers refused to meet his wage demands. Bates has now signed a pre-contract with Hamburg, who are battling against relegation from the Bundesliga. He had emerged as a reliable defender for the Ibrox club during an impressive breakthrough season. He has made a total of 17 first-team appearances this term, becoming more established once Graeme Murty replaced Pedro Caixinha as boss. Bates (right) is the second centre-back to tie up a move out of Ibrox in recent months after Danny Wilson joined Colorado Rapids in January. Hamburg’s scouting director Johannes Spors was delighted with the capture of a player who joined Rangers from Raith Rovers in 2016, saying: ‘David brings in a combination of height, speed, mentality and accountability (in defence). ‘He is a down-to-earth guy who wants to actively develop his career and work hard for it.’ Meanwhile, Alfredo Morelos will be able to play against Hearts in Rangers’ first post-split Premiership fixture after winning an appeal against a yellow card for diving. The Colombian striker was cautioned late in last weekend’s 4-0 win over Dundee for toppling in the penalty area following an incident with goalkeeper Elliot Parish. Murty branded referee Greg Aitken’s decision ‘ludicrous’, and pointed out that Parish had to be substituted because of a facial injury sustained in the collision. It was Morelos’ sixth booking of the season and would have meant a one-match ban kicking in a fortnight after the offence. However, he succeeded in having the card rescinded at an SFA hearing, clearing him to feature when Craig Levein’s side come to Ibrox a week on Sunday. Rangers have also announced Douglas Park will become deputy chairman of the club. The motoring tycoon — a member of the so-called Three Bears group of shareholders — will assist South Africabased chairman Dave King. A club statement confirmed: ‘Mr Park, now based in Scotland, has kindly made himself available to adopt a more prominent position within the club. ‘The role of deputy chairman allows Douglas to assist the club by providing an important local interaction between RIFC and the executive running the football club. ‘This appointment was requested by the chairman, who believes the position of a Scottish-based deputy chairman will assist him in the ongoing implementation of the club’s business strategy.’