A fresh transfer update has provided a definitive state of play regarding Galatasaray’s heavily reported pursuit of high-flying Rangers striker Youssef Chermiti.
While the Ibrox backpages are completely dominated by Nicolas Raskin’s positioning as the club’s marquee summer exit route, the market surrounding the Portuguese forward has quietly developed behind the scenes.
Following a great debut campaign in Glasgow, where he spearheaded the frontline with 15 league goals, continental suitors have been lining up to conduct extensive background checks.
Heavyweights like PSV Eindhoven and Besiktas have already been credited with firm interest, while Premier League clubs have lodged initial recruitment enquiries.
However, the exact nature of Galatasaray’s interest has now been brought to light.
How much should Rangers demand for Youssef Chermiti?
He scored 15 goals in his first season at Ibrox…
Insider clarifies the state of play over Galatasaray interest
In the opening week of June, reports emerging from Turkiye insisted that Galatasaray had officially identified the 22-year-old marksman as a summer acquisition target, running straight into a steep £25million price tag slapped down by the Rangers hierarchy.
A fresh update on the ongoing pursuit has now clarified where the Istanbul giants truly stand.
According to a well-placed insider source, the Super Lig club are taking a far more calculated approach.
“Chermiti is just on the list”, a source exclusively told Rangers News.
The crucial distinction reveals that while Galatasaray are comprehensively mapping out their tactical options for the summer transfer window, they are not currently engaged in active negotiations or pushing forward with an immediate bid to lure the player away from Ibrox.
Why Rangers hold all the cards in Chermiti battle
This update should provide plenty of comfort to the recruitment team at Ibrox.
Chermiti’s debut season in Scotland is deemed a success despite a slow start. After arriving in an £8m deal from Everton, he stepped up brilliantly in the second half of the season, netting a superb hat-trick against Hearts and a pivotal double in the Old Firm derby against Celtic.
At just 22, he is arguably the most valuable development asset in the entire first-team squad.
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The fact that Galatasaray are merely keeping him on a long-term watchlist proves that the Rangers board’s aggressive £25m valuation is doing exactly what it was designed to do – protecting their prized asset.
Rangers are under absolutely no fiscal pressure to sell their top goalscorer on the cheap, especially with other dynamic departures like Raskin expected to generate significant incoming revenue.
Unless a European suitor panics later in the summer window and arrives at the negotiating table with a truly transformative, top-dollar opening offer, Chermiti is going nowhere.
This gives Derek McInnes and his team the perfect platform to build their upcoming campaign around a confident, settled elite young striker who already knows exactly how to deliver on the biggest domestic stages.
