If Rangers were to sell Romanian international Ianis Hagi this summer, "it would be quite a surprise", claims transfer insider Dean Jones.
Rangers transfer news – what's the latest on Ianis Hagi?
Rangers have been undergoing something of a squad overhaul in recent weeks, with the Teddybears seeing senior players like Scott Arfield, Alfredo Morelos and Ryan Kent all leaving the club and a swath of new faces arriving.
So far, the Glasgow giants have signed six new players this summer, splashing the cash on striker Cyriel Dessers, who cost £4.5m from Cremonese and fellow centre-forward Sam Lammers, who cost the club £3m from Atalanta.
With the club clearly spending big this summer and more potential incomings on the way, several players have been linked with moves away from Ibrox to help free up more capital to fund Michael Beale's overhaul, with one of those linked with a move being Hagi.
According to Football Insider, Serie A side Lecce view the player as a 'concrete target' this summer and have already made contact with the Scottish giants over a potential transfer.
Rangers legend Alan Hutton told the publication that while he hopes the player stays, he thinks the club could sell:
"There is definitely a question mark there. Hagi had a stop-start season with a serious injury that did not allow him to play as much football as he wanted, but you still think at this moment in time, he would be knocked down the pecking order, especially with the new signings.
"I would like to see him stay but if they did get a reasonable offer in they would listen to it. "
What has transfer insider Dean Jones said about Ianis Hagi and Rangers?
Jones was quick to point out that the departure of Hagi seems unlikely at this point, as everything around the club suggests he will be staying.
Speaking to Football FanCast, he said: "I mean, he seems unlikely (to leave), and actually, it would be quite a surprise at this point if he did go. I mean, the noises around it seem to suggest that they will be staying."
How good is Ianis Hagi?
It has been a tough few years for the Romanian international, having started his career at Ibrox brightly in the 2020/21 season to having it abruptly cut short the following season due to a knee injury.
That injury required surgery, which caused the dynamic midfielder to miss a whopping 69 games for the Gers across 371 days from January 21st 2022 to January 27th 2023.
Before his injury, however, he was electric north of the border, especially in that first season when he started 20 games, scored six goals, and assisted a further nine, picking up an average rating of 6.93.
It was this kind of form that led Gigi Becali, the owner of Steaua Bucharest, to make a very bold prediction:
"I think he will be a great European footballer in the future. For me, he will be worth €100m (£85m) in just two years."
His then-manager Steven Gerrard was also full of praise for the Romanian youngster, hailing him as "magic" after a spectacular Europa League goal at Ibrox in 2020.
With the now 24-year-old just getting back to his best after the tough journey he's been on over the last 18 months, Rangers should do all they can to find a place for him in the team going forward, even if he doesn't quite live up to that €100m (£85m) prediction.
