Players have returned for pre-season training with Glasgow Rangers as Russell Martin prepares his group ahead of the Champions League qualifying clash next month.
The Light Blues have less than a month to prepare for their two-legged tie, as they look to make their way through to the next stage of the qualifiers and bring regular top-class continental football to Ibrox.
Martin has a lot of work to do on the coaching pitch to ensure that the players at Rangers know what their roles are and how they will play his system effectively, but he also has a lot of work to do in the summer transfer window.
For example, Cyriel Dessers could be on his way out of Glasgow before the end of the window amid reported interest from AEK Athens, who have been pushing to sign him, and Feyenoord.
It now remains to be seen whether or not the Nigeria international will still be at Ibrox by the time their Champions League qualifiers get underway.
He may not be the only star to move on from the Scottish Premiership giants this summer, though, as Nicolas Raskin has also been linked with an exit.
Why losing Nicolas Raskin would be a blow for Rangers
The Belgium international is attracting plenty of interest after his performances in the 2024/25 season for the Light Blues, as a number of Premier League teams are reportedly keen on signing him.
Wolverhampton Wanderers, Aston Villa, and Leeds United are all reportedly eyeing up the former Standard Liege talent, who is valued at £25m by the Scottish side.
Raskin joining one of those three teams this summer, despite the money that could be involved in a deal, would be a big blow for Martin because of the quality that he would be losing from the XI.
In the 2024/25 season, the Belgian central midfielder was particularly impressive in the Premiership with his displays in the middle of the park for the Gers.
|
24/25 Premiership |
Nicolas Raskin |
|---|---|
|
Appearances |
33 |
|
Touches per game |
68.4 |
|
Goals |
4 |
|
Big chances created |
9 |
|
Assists |
10 |
|
Pass accuracy |
87% |
|
Dribbles completed per game |
1.0 |
|
Dribble success rate |
68% |
As you can see in the table above, Raskin carried a threat as both a scorer and a creator of goals for his side, which shows that Martin would be losing a quality operator at the top end of the pitch.
However, Rangers could lose another player who would be an even bigger miss than the midfield star because of his attacking contributions for the team this season.
European team hope to sign Rangers star
According to reports on the continent, Ligue 1 side Lille now “hope” to finalise a deal to sign Morocco international Hamza Igamane from Rangers before the end of the summer transfer window.
The reporter claims that talks are ongoing between the two clubs to reach an agreement on a transfer fee, as the French team seemingly close in on the Gers centre-forward.
Tavolieri adds that the 22-year-old has already agreed personal terms with Lille, with a verbal agreement now in place, and this suggests that the only hurdle left to jump over is the transfer fee.
Igamane is reportedly valued at a fee of around £15m by Rangers and it remains to be seen whether or not the French side will be willing to pay that much money for the versatile attacker.
This latest update from Tavolieri suggests that Lille are confident that they can get a deal done for him, given that they hope to finalise terms over a transfer for the striker, and losing the forward would be an even bigger loss than Raskin for Martin.
Why losing Igamane would be a big blow for Rangers
If Igamane seals a permanent transfer to Lille this summer then the Light Blues would be losing their most efficient finisher and goalscorer ahead of the 2025/26 campaign.
The Moroccan star enjoyed a terrific first season in Glasgow with the Gers, scoring 16 goals in 46 matches in all competitions for the Scottish giants, and showcased his quality in front of goal.
Dessers ended the Premiership season as the top scorer for Rangers with a haul of 18 goals from 19.4 xG, which shows that he was wasteful in front of goal with the quality of chances that came his way.
Igamane, who only started 23 of his 33 league appearances for the club, provided far more quality as a finisher with the chances that he had in the Premiership for the Gers.
|
Rangers’ most efficient finishers in 24/25 Premiership |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Player |
xG |
Goals |
xG differential |
|
Vaclav Cerny |
9.57 |
12 |
+2.43 |
|
Hamza Igamane |
9.84 |
12 |
+2.16 |
|
Ianis Hagi |
2.41 |
4 |
+1.59 |
|
Tom Lawrence |
2.88 |
4 |
+1.12 |
|
Nicolas Raskin |
3.43 |
4 |
+0.57 |
As you can see in the table above, the Morocco international is the most efficient finisher still at the club, given that Vaclav Cerny’s loan from Wolfsburg has come to an end, after a return of 12 goals from just 9.84 xG.
At the age of 22, Igamane also has plenty of time left to develop and improve even further under Martin’s coaching, if he stays. Whereas Raskin is a bit older and closer to his prime at the age of 24.
Reported fees of £25m for Raskin and £15m for Igamane also suggest that Rangers would not get as much value out of a sale for the striker, in comparison to the midfielder.
Therefore, selling the Moroccan forward would be an even bigger loss for the Gers because they would be getting £10m less for a player who offered more game-changing quality in the final third, and who has more time ahead of him to improve further.
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This is why Martin should be hoping that Lille fail to finalise a deal with the club in the coming days and weeks, as Igamane could be a key player for him next season.
