The multi-million-pound transfer talks between Rangers and FK Partizan Belgrade over highly-rated midfielder Vanja Dragojevic have escalated into extraordinary territory.
Derek McInnes has thrown significant weight behind a completely revamped Ibrox engine room, having already secured Dan Neil on a free transfer from Sunderland.
However, Dragojevic has emerged as a big piece of the summer rebuild jigsaw, prompting an official €4.5million (£3.9million) bid from Glasgow.
As the two clubs haggle over the financial package, with Partizan holding out for around £4.7m, a striking update out of Eastern Europe shows exactly how desperate the Serbian club are to ensure the deal does not collapse at the final hurdle.
Meanwhile, the player’s camp has broken their silence directly to Rangers News.
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Vanja Dragojevic made training ground ‘joker’ amid Rangers talks
According to a report from Serbian outlet Telegraf, Partizan Belgrade have officially placed Dragojevic on an emergency ‘special regime’ during active training sessions.
Partizan are intensely aware of past transfer windows where carelessness or an accidental heavy challenge in training resulted in a catastrophic injury, completely ruining a lucrative transfer.
To combat this, head coach Sasa Ilic has taken the drastic step of actively shielding his 20-year-old captain from competitive contact.
During full-scale practice matches where intense duels could naturally materialise, Ilic designated Dragojevic as a ‘joker’, completely removing him from standard physical contact elements.
In another drill, Ilic swapped between Dragojevic and Ognjen Ugresic, who is subject to a similar £6.9m pursuit from Italian side Bologna, to protect their respective moves.
The Belgrade side are treating these negotiations as vital for the financial survival of the club, thus refusing to take any chances that could risk scuppering the imminent cash injection.
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Bojan Saranov delivers exclusive transfer state of play
While Partizan’s extreme training methods suggest a double exit is heavily advancing behind the scenes, an exclusive update obtained by Rangers News from Dragojevic’s agent urges temporary caution.
When directly reached for comment regarding the status of negotiations at Ibrox, former goalkeeper and the player’s agent, Bojan Saranov, was highly professional but protective of the ongoing cross-border dynamic.
Saranov told Rangers News: “I will certainly let you know if and when a deal is close, but as things stand right now, that is not yet the case.”
The agent’s grounded update perfectly mirrors the operational reality of the deal. While Rangers have actively driven the pace with their initial opening bid, negotiations remain wide open as Partizan hold out for £4.7m.
With the player effectively wrapped in cotton wool in Belgrade to prevent a medical disaster, the framework is set.
The final step relies on the Andrew Cavenagh-led club finding common ground with the Serbians’ altered evaluation.
