Rangers had several players out on loan last season and only Ianis Hagi has really invoked any debate about whether or not he has a future at the club.
The Romanian international missed Philippe Clement at Genk by a matter of months, however, given the manager’s preferred shape and system, there could be space for the 25-year old playmaker.
There has always been interest from Turkey due to being born in Instanbul when his dad Gheorghe was at Galatasaray with Fenerbahce said to be considering making an offer to Rangers for Ianis Hagi – an offer the player has responded to.
Ianis Hagi coy as Rangers transfer question raised
Tom Lawrence has just a year left on his current contract and his injury history makes it unlikely that he will be offered another.
This leaves Todd Cantwell, Alex Lowry and Hagi as the main number 10 options.
Hagi has spent most of his time at Rangers playing off the right-hand side but always seemed to have a skillset that seemed to suit playing centrally more.
That this is the role he frequents for Romania – he’s been given his dad’s legendary number 10 shirt for the European Championships – suggests that he could play it for Rangers if he is given the chance.
Speaking to Sport Ro during the recent international fixtures, Hagi was coy on the reports linking him with a move back to Turkey:
“Once I took the first steps to the national team and introduced myself, my thoughts are only here.
“You can contact my managers.
When asked what he wants next in his career, he said:
“I want to go past the groups , let the world be happy and let’s take them to the streets!”
Can Euros prove Hagi could be Clement creator?
Hagi went out on loan because Michael Beale bought Sam Lammers and wasn’t giving him the game time he thought that he deserved.
With hindsight, he was right.
Lammers struggled to make an impact in a position that he should never have been playing when you consider Cantwell’s form the season before and Hagi’s ability too.
Every Rangers fan has their opinion on Hagi, but there can be no arguments about whether he would have improved the forward line this season, wherever he played.
Hagi is a saleable asset and a good Euros could add a few pounds to his price tag after a season in La Liga with Deportivo Alaves that didn’t quite go to plan.
It could also persuade the manager that maybe, just maybe, he could be the key to unlock those stubborn SPFL doors.
