Rangers transfer news: Ianis Hagi lined up for Ibrox exit as club makes him top target
Lecce have emerged as a key transfer suitor for Rangers wide man Ianis Hagi as he would be the first name on the team sheet for manager Roberto D’Aversa, Gazzetta dello Sport reports.
Director of football at the Serie A side Pantaleo Corvino is therefore set to make an attempt to bring the Romanian in this summer, despite the fact he only signed a new Ibrox contract last season amid a year out with a serious knee injury [The Athletic, 15 December].
There were suggestions that his father’s “furious reaction” to Ianis being left out of the national team squad in March was due to the missed opportunity to play amid interest from around Europe for the summer window, and it appears that is indeed now mounting.
In their 9.06am update on Sunday (2 July) Gazzetta reported: “Lecce, Covino tries Hagi – A son of art in Salento.
“Ianis Hagi is the great goal of the Lecce manager: the young Romanian, owned by Rangers, would be the first name to be included in Roberto D’Aversa’s 4-3-3.”
Future?
It is difficult to judge Hagi’s place without Michael Beale’s squad currently as he has played so little football in over a year, and with new arrivals coming in this summer he may not get extensive opportunities to prove he is back to full strength.
Prior to his injury the season before last he was capable of being a quality part of the attacking set up but was barely seen last term until after the split.
His four appearances thereafter were encouraging, and he scored his first goal since his return in a 3-1 win at Hibs on 21 May, but the pressure was off by then and the manager was shuffling his options so it doesn’t necessarily mean he would be a primary option next season.
Unless the 24-year-old has been able to show Beale enough in sparse action then he might be set for an uphill battle to get a regular run out going forward, with Abdallah Sima and Sam Lammers already signed in attacking areas and Cyriel Dessers apparently now on the way.
Incumbents Rabbi Matondo and Antonio Colak appear at risk of leaving, and stalwarts Ryan Kent and Alfredo Morelos have already gone, so the door is not entirely closed on Hagi’s opportunities.
But should a club like Lecce make clear that he would be the main man for them, and crucially if they put reasonable money on the table, it might suit all parties for him to make a fresh start elsewhere.
It’s a big decision for the manager to make as it would be difficult to sign a the calibre of a fully-fit Hagi so should he leave Rangers and start firing on all cylinders elsewhere it would be a big opportunity missed.
In other Rangers news, BBC pundit moots Lawrence Shankland alternative amid doubts over Ibrox transfer business this summer.