Philippe Clement pleaded with the Rangers hierarchy not to get into another situation with key players running down contracts.
The Belgian manager endured a stressful summer of downsizing as several key players within the Rangers dressing room departed and the club slashed £6m from its wage bill.
Replacing the likes of John Lundstram, Connor Goldson and Borna Barisic on a shoestring budget was also never going to be easy.
But looking ahead to the summer, Rangers are running the very real risk of losing another key player for nothing as Ianis Hagi’s re-negotiated contract begins to tick down at Ibrox.
Ianis Hagi tells Rangers contract stance
Rangers manager Philippe Clement confirmed that Ianis Hagi’s contract was ticking down ahead of the weekend’s clash with Fraserburgh.
The Daily Record are claiming that as of yet there have been no ‘negotiations’ planned between Rangers and Ianis Hagi with regards a new contract.
But the report outlines the Rangers playmaker’s willingness to negotiate a new deal if the contract suits all parties.
Quoting a source close to the Romanian playmaker, the Record claims Hagi is ‘happy’ in Glasgow and is willing to listen to what Rangers ‘have to say’ with regards a new deal.
The report comes after Philippe Clement suggested that negotiations between Rangers and Ianis Hagi are in the pipeline.
”He will be end of contract at the end of the season,” said Clement.
”So there will be negotiations around that, if it’s possible or not.
”I don’t have a clue what numbers that Ianis has in mind or the club so that’s discussions between them.“
Rangers playmaker wanted in France and Italy
Hagi was only reinstated into the Rangers team in October, having been demoted to the club’s reserves due to issues with a wage clause in the player’s contract.
After this was re-negotiated, Ianis Hagi has finally started to find some form at Rangers following a tumultuous few years defined by injuries and an unsuccessful loan stint at Alaves in Spain.
But now Ianis Hagi is technically free to discuss terms elsewhere with the 26-year-old Rangers playmaker’s contract set to run out at the end of the season.
There appears to be plenty of suitors for the Romanian attacking midfielder too.
Ligue 1 outfit Strasbourg were linked in October last year whilst Serie A side Genoa are another who’ve been mentioned in dispatches.
