Rangers-linked Nicolas Raskin is reportedly set to be the subject of transfer interest from Portuguese giants Benfica as Standard Liege brace themselves for a bid.
At least that’s the latest coming out of Belgium, with L’avenir claiming that the Primeira Liga side could approach the Raskin camp in the coming days with a view to a summer switch.
This comes with Nicolas Raskin currently out of the Standard Liege side and being forced to train away from the first team amid a fierce contract stand-off.
The 21-year-old midfielder is out of contract in the summer and with Nicolas Raskin yet to sign a new deal in Belgium, he would be free to discuss a deal with Rangers, Benfica, or anyone else.
Rangers-linked Nicolas Raskin linked with Benfica
European giants Benfica certainly pose an interesting option for Nicolas Raskin, the club being Champions League regulars with a proven track record of selling on to the elite.
Benfica have also just been through weeks of extensive reporting surrounding Argentine midfielder Enzo Fernandez, who was being strongly linked with a £120m move to Chelsea after winning the World Cup.
Should interest be reignited in the former River Plate star in this window, or the World Cup winner moved on in the summer, then Benfica would need reinforcements in the middle of the park.
Step forward reported Benfica target Nicolas Raskin, who is also said to be interesting teams in Italy and who Rangers might’ve signed in the summer had things been different.
Could Rangers lose out on Nicolas Raskin?
Rangers manager Michael Beale set tongues wagging about Nicolas Raskin after he claimed that the Gers could be expecting incomings from Europe this January.
Raskin has been extensively linked to the Ibrox club since the summer when a deal for the Belgian reportedly fell through at the final moment.
This was after the proposed sale of Glen Kamara to Ligue 1 side OGC Nice collapsed in the final stages of transfer window.
Links to Ligue 1 have been more prominent heading into the January window – with Standard Liege and ex-Celtic manager Ronny Deila admitting the player could leave – but those have also gone cold in recent weeks.
We’ll have to wait and see what happens at Rangers but with Benfica reportedly also in the mix it means Nicolas Raskin is at least reportedly a wanted man around Europe.
Meanwhile, another reported Rangers star was once valued at £50m by his current club.
