Philippe Clement made it clear weeks ago that, if Rangers were to do any more business before the window closed, then departures would be required.
And with Scott Wright set to be followed south of the border by Todd Cantwell – the former joining Birmingham City while the latter heads to Blackburn Rovers – the door has suddenly swung open for Rangers to make at least one more addition to their squad prior to Friday night’s 11pm deadline.
The Glasgow giants are in talks to bring in Nedim Bajrami from Sassuolo.
The adaptable Albania international – he of that 23 second goal fame at Euro 2024 – likely to arrive at Ibrox on loan with an option-to-buy clause in his contract, per the Daily Record.
Rangers Review, meanwhile, say that Rangers’ first signing of deadline day will not be Bajrami but instead Neraysho Kasanwirjo.
Neraysho Kasanwirjo undergoes Rangers medical
Like Bajrami, who can play as a number ten and on both flanks, Kasanwirjo is a versatile talent who will add depth to Clement’s squad in a number of areas. The former Netherlands Under 21 international made his name in the Eredivisie with Groningen as a ball-playing centre-half.
He has been utilised at right-back, left-back and occasionally in defensive midfield as well, however, with Dujon Sterling potentially facing competition for the status of Rangers’ most tactically flexible player.
Rangers Review claim that Kasanwirjo is already in Glasgow. He has passed his medical too, with an official unveiling seemingly imminent.
Still only 22, the Dutchman’s best years should lie ahead of him. Rangers are expected to secure a loan deal but, like with Bajrami, they may also look to include a purchase clause into the arrangement.
Per Dagblad van het Noorden, Feyenoord paid £1.6 million to take him away from Groningen 18 months ago. The Ajax academy graduate struggled for game time under now-Liverpool boss Arne Slot, however, but he did feature regularly on loan at Rapid Vienna in Austria last term.
Arne Slot was frustrated with Kasanwirjo at times
Slot had few doubts about Kasanwirjo’s potential. A tendency to switch off in key moments, however, remained a regular source of frustration.
“I think he has certainly made progress in the last six months since he came from FC Groningen,” Slot told De Telegraaf a year ago. That was also a kind of culture shock for him, especially considering the situation of FC Groningen at that time.
“You can definitely see the potential for Feyenoord in him. But there are also actions, such as giving away that penalty against Club Brugge last Wednesday, that suddenly make him go from a nine (out of ten) to a three.
“That is the biggest challenge for him. Not whether he is good enough, but whether he can achieve stability as a top player.”
Kasanwirjo, at Rangers, will provide competition for James Tavernier on the right as well as fellow Eredivisie import Robin Propper in the centre.
Bajrami, meanwhile, could be the left winger Rangers have wanted since losing Abdallah Sima.
“He is an attacking midfielder. Nemid can play as a number ten or in a 4-3-3, he can play on the left or right wing,” explains Sergio Porrini, the former Rangers defender speaking to the Daily Record about a player he knows very well from the Albanian national team.
“If he plays wide, he prefers to play on the left even though he is right footed. He is very good coming from the left with his right foot because he has a dangerous shot from distance. He scores a lot of goals from outside the box.
“Nemid also had quality in the final third and has the vision and range of passing to be really dangerous and create things. He is very much an offensive player. Maybe (he) isn’t the strongest but he has great technique and comes alive in and around the opposition box.
