Deal number two of the January transfer window appears to be done – Todd Cantwell a certainty to be the first – the only question being whether or not Nicolas Raskin is going to arrive now or in the summer.
The Belgium Under-21 international has been a target for a long time, if you believe reports, and had Glen Kamara departed in the summer then the 21-year old could well have been a Rangers player already but it looks as though Ross Wilson has finally got his man.
Vital Rangers has covered the news that a fee of around £2.2million with a 20% sell on clause is enough to secure Raskin’s immediate release, which now looks to be the only stumbling block after Belgian media outfit Le Soir claimed that personal terms have been agreed and a medical has been passed.
Raskin has already been ostracised by Standard Liege since he confirmed that he wouldn’t be signing a new contract so they are unlikely to be difficult to deal with. They face having a player in the squad who is unhappy, won’t want to play and who is leaving for free if they don’t agree terms on an immediate transfer with Rangers.
Getting the pre-contract agreement in place first puts us in a great position in terms of negotiating in that we will be able to pay less than if we were having to make an offer to speak to the player first.
Signing Raskin in the summer might have helped us in the early months of the season, however, signing him now means that we are saving millions.