Rangers playmaker Ianis Hagi had a ‘verbal agreement with Aston Villa’ before injury wrecked his chances of a move to the Premier League outfit, according to ProSport.
After 13 months on the sidelines with a serious knee issue, the Romania international is desperate to make up for lost time at Ibrox. But unfortunately for him, Hagi arguably faces more competition for a starting spot now than he did when rupturing his ACL back in January 2022.
Rangers brought Todd Cantwell to Ibrox in the winter. Malik Tillman, meanwhile, continues to go from strength to strength under Mick Beale, scoring his 10th of the season with a thumping finish in the 4-2 victory over Motherwell last time out.
Hagi’s future, then, feels understandably uncertain heading into the summer. Does the £4 million signing from KRC Genk need a fresh start, away from Ibrox? There is unlikely to be a shortage of interest, even if his hopes of a move to Aston Villa appear to have gone up in smoke following the sacking of former Gers boss Steven Gerrard.
“He had a verbal agreement with Aston Villa,” a source tells ProSport. “If that bad luck had not occurred, he would now be playing in the Premier League, in England.”
Ianis Hagi could have swapped Rangers for Aston Villa
The same source claims that there are now Bundesliga clubs keeping tabs on Hagi.
“Now, Ianis has a new opportunity on the horizon. Those from Borussia Monchengladbach have expressed their interest, through intermediaries,” ProSport adds. “And the scouts of the Bundesliga club will follow him in the coming period.”
Hagi has played only 31 minutes of Premiership football this season. In addition to Tillman and the rapidly-improving Cantwell, the Istanbul-born 24-year-old also faces renewed competition from an in-form Fashion Sakala.
With seven goals and eight assists, Sakala appears to have one of the attacking roles nailed down under Beale.
Hagi’s legendary father, meanwhile, still hopes to see Ianis follow in his footsteps in the Turkish Super Lig. For the time being, however, Hagi Jr remains ‘loved and wanted’ at Ibrox.
“I would be happy for Ianis to go to Galatasaray at some point,” says Gheorghe Hagi. “But, at the moment, there is no problem. At the moment, I know that he is loved and wanted at Rangers very much.”