A fall-out between Cornelius and Rohl has significantly reduced the chances of him returning to Ibrox. The Light Blues hold an option to buy the centre-back at the end of the season, but a final decision has not yet been made. It had been considered unlikely for weeks that Rangers would sign Cornelius, as he is probably the fourth-choice centre-back and any expenditure on him would not be considered worthwhile. An exit now appears likely and the option to buy is not likely to be exercised.

Reports from earlier this week suggested that Derek Cornelius might not play for Rangers again. It was asserted that he had been moved to the reserves, effectively ending his chance of playing for the club again before his loan from Marseille concludes in the summer. Both Jesse Marsch and Danny Rohl have confirmed that Cornelius is no longer with the Rangers first team. Danny Rohl stated that he will have a final talk with Derek Cornelius to resolve the situation when he returns from international duty. Marsch said that it has not yet been decided whether Derek stays and trains with the academy, trains with the first team at Rangers, or ultimately secures a place in the lineup.

Sources have stated that Derek Cornelius, an on-loan Marseille defender at Rangers, will be training with Malky Thomson’s side and that there appears to be no path for the 28-year-old's return. There are also unconfirmed claims that his training gear has been moved out of the complex. It is reported that there is a high possibility Derek Cornelius will not play for the club again and will not feature for the first team at Ibrox. While it previously appeared that he was nearing a first-team return and had two months to prove why he deserved to be signed permanently, this development means he is unlikely to be signed permanently.

Derek Cornelius will return to Marseille this summer and is likely to transfer again. He was no longer favored towards the end of his first season with the Ligue 1 club and was considered not needed last year.