Rangers £350k short of Nicolas Raskin valuation, club prepare third bid
Standard Liege are willing to leave Nicolas Raskin in limbo for six months unless Rangers can meet their £1million asking price, according to the Daily Record.
It’s understood the Light Blues have had a second bid of £750,000 turned down by the Jupiler League side after seeing an initial £500,000 offer turned down.
However, it’s believed Standard are determined to hold out for their valuation of the 21-year-old, who was previously valued at £7million (Daily Record, 28 January).
It’s also been suggested the Light Blues are now preparing a third bid for the midfielder, who has just six months left on his contract.
Pay up
If Rangers are only £350,000 short of Liege’s valuation then they simply have to pay up. He’s a young player with immense potential which fits the mould Michael Beale is trying to bring to the club. The former QPR boss is eager to add some longer-term value to his squad and the likes of Raskin and Todd Cantwell certainly fit the bill.
It appears Liege have no problem allowing Raskin to sit in the reserves until the season’s end. However, Rangers do need to try and call their bluff slightly. £1million is a significant sum of money, and the Jupiler League club would almost certainly rather have that in their accounts, as opposed to an unhappy player still on their books.
The Light Blues are clearly trying to get the best deal they can. They don’t want to pay over the odds, but they also need to ensure they don’t miss out on the Belgium under-21 international due to them wanting to secure a bargain transfer fee.
This feels like a move which will go right to the very wire – and Beale will be hoping the board eventually stump up to land another long-term target.
In other Rangers news, a club in Europe holds the option to re-sign a player from Ibrox whenever they like.