Following the departure of six members of Steven Gerrard’s first-team squad, rumours have emerged in the Italian media that they have already begun strengthening the squad for next season with the completion of a significant transfer deal.
La Gazzetta dello Sport claims that Rangers have taken up the permanent option to sign Ianis Hagi in what will be a deal in the region of £4million as per the exclusive option to buy clause that was inserted in his loan deal from Genk in January.
The Romanian international has been the subject of interest from both Italy and Spain almost since he arrived at Ibrox and it would be his performances in the Europa League that will have drawn most attention.
Lazio and Sevilla are just two of the clubs said to be chasing the playmaker, but with the Gers having first refusal – a brilliant piece of work by Ross Wilson – they were always going to have to wait their turn.
It was never released how the deal would have to be structured and a recent report stated as such, revealing that negotiations were underway with Genk as to how the £4m could be paid, in an uncertain financial climate nobody is quite sure how the transfer market will be affected.
Gerrard’s third season will see him come under immense pressure to not only win a trophy but to break Celtic’s stronghold on the league title, his side have shown that they can compete in one off games but now need to find the consistency against the rest that has so far eluded them – getting the Hagi deal over the line could be the first piece in the jigsaw required to finally close the gap.