According to The Daily Record, Rangers will be feeling increasingly pressured to seal the signing of one of European football’s highest rated youngsters after Sevilla were revealed to be once again interested in Ianis Hagi should the Light Blues fail to take up their exclusive right to buy the playmaker.
Serie A side, Lazio, have long said to be monitoring Hagi after he made the move to Ibrox from Genk in January but again, like Sevilla, they will have to form an orderly queue whilst Rangers decide whether or not to make the move permanent.
Hagi is clearly a driven young player and aspires to one day play in La Liga, however, for now he remains happy at Ibrox and has an obvious respect for his manager, when he was asked about transfer speculation earlier in the month, he said:
“At the moment, my only focus is on the Scottish league and to be ready for that when it returns. My future is taken care of by my agents.
“At Rangers under Steven Gerrard, it’s impossible to single out just one thing that I’ve learned about from him. I learn something new from him every day. I consider myself lucky to be coached by one of the best players in the history of football.
“The best piece of advice my father gave me was ambition makes the difference and I love the La Liga style of play and I see myself playing there one day.
“I don’t know about comparisons with my father. I only know one thing about myself – I want to win. When I am retired, perhaps we can compare careers then.”
Despite some reports, Rangers are in decent health financially after Douglas Park – the interim Chairman – revealed that a £10million investment had already been made in recent weeks, added to already secured funding and a new kit/merchandising deal, the club is getting back on track.
With £4m required to keep Hagi at the club it would still represent a significant outlay but given his age, profile and more importantly, ability, it is the proverbial no brainer if Steven Gerrard wants to break his silverware duck.