Alex Rae issues Nicolas Raskin transfer warning to Rangers
Rangers star Nicolas Raskin has been embroiled in a transfer saga since the window opened.
Raskin could leave Rangers this summer, with several clubs interested in signing the Belgian.
The 24-year-old would likely attract a significant fee, although some fans believe that Raskin is likely to improve and should be kept at Ibrox.
Alex Rae delivers his verdict on Raskin
Alex Rae worked closely with Raskin when he was a member of Rangers’ coaching staff.
The 55-year-old was relieved of his duties shortly after the Gers fired Philippe Clement, although he insists there are no hard feelings harboured.
And in an interview with PLZ Soccer (27 June), Rae suggested that Rangers may not have seen the best of Raskin yet.
Rae said, “I think he [Raskin] can go far. I think he’s still got a lot of things that he can add to his game, but he has the ingredients to be a top player.”
Rae was keen to add a caveat to his verdict, being that Raskin only has two years on his contract. For that reason, he said that Rangers would need to make a bold decision about his future now.
He explained: “If he does not re-sign, you don’t want him going into his last year because then you don’t get the real value of that type of player. Hopefully, Rangers have learned lessons of recent years.”
These ‘lessons’ that Rae refers to relate to keeping hold of players for too long and losing them for nothing. Alfredo Morelos and Ryan Kent are two painful recent examples of this.
Russell Martin and 49ers Enterprises face tough decisions
If they follow Rae’s advice, Rangers will either commit to a long-term future with Raskin or offload him this summer.
It’s believed they could get as much as £15million for Raskin if they cash in. However, it still remains unclear which route they will choose.
Raskin isn’t the only first-team player stuck in this transfer purgatory either.
Cyriel Dessers is another player who did reasonably well last season, but Rangers are considering selling him for around £5m. Once again, it’s believed that now might be the time to get the highest possible fee.
Hamza Igamane could also be offloaded to raise funds for new players.
| Player | Potential transfer value |
| Nicolas Raskin | £15m |
| Hamza Igamane | £14m |
| Cyriel Dessers | £5m |
These are big decisions for Russell Martin and 49ers Enterprises to make after only being associated with Rangers for a short time. Nevertheless, their verdicts will have a huge impact on the future of the club.
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