Rangers blow as £17m transfer news emerges ahead of Champions League tie
Rangers will take on Panathinaikos in a qualifying fixture for this season’s Champions League.
A lot of money and prestige is attached to these qualifying rounds, and that’s why Rangers are hustling to build a capable squad before the first leg on 22 July.
However, Russell Martin’s side have suffered an unfortunate setback ahead of this tie – albeit due to a decision taken by their opponents.
Panathinaikos have no interest in selling Ioannidis before Rangers match
It was hoped that Panathinaikos might sell their star striker Fotis Ioannidis before they face off against Rangers.
The Greek forward has 33 goals in the last two seasons and is a key player for the team.
However, the Athens-based side have made their intentions clear by rejecting a mammoth £17million bid from Fiorentina for Ioannidis.
The Glasgow Times reports that Rangers’ opponents won’t entertain any bids until after these qualifiers take place.
It’s a sensible move from the Greek giants considering the amount of money at stake for Champions League qualification.
Sadly, it means that Rangers will need to find a way to beat their opponents with Ioannidis leading the line.
The fact that the Panathinaikos are able to reject a bid of £17m for a player says it all about the size of the task that awaits Rangers next month.
Rangers will need to move fast to prepare for Champions League glory
It’s just over three weeks until Panathinaikos visit Ibrox, and Rangers aren’t moving as quickly as expected in the transfer market.
Max Aarons has signed on a season-long loan, but other potential transfers are stalling for seemingly no reason.
| Rangers’ route to the Champions League group stages | |
| Second qualifying round | 22-23 July, 29-30 July |
| Third qualifying round | 5-6 August, 12-13 August |
| Playoff round | 19-20 August, 26-27 August |
Conor Coady has been linked with a move to Rangers for weeks. Both Coady and Rangers seem to want to make it happen, yet nothing is moving forward.
Kwame Poku was seemingly destined to move to Glasgow, but he ended up choosing QPR.
Currently, there have been no permanent signings announced since the transfer window opened.
The crazy thing is: Rangers seem to be closer to offloading their star players than signing new ones. Both Cyriel Dessers and Hamza Igamane have been linked with moves from Ibrox in the coming days. Nicolas Raskin could also be sold in this transfer window.
That leads to the obvious question: Why aren’t Rangers also keeping hold of their star players until after their European qualifiers are finished?
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