Rangers are stepping up the gas in their pursuit of FK Partizan Belgrade captain Vanja Dragojevic, but the Serbian giants are proving infuriatingly tough negotiators.
According to Serbian outlet Telegraf, negotiations along the Belgrade-Glasgow pipeline are in full swing.
The Ibrox chiefs returned to the table with an improved financial package in an aggressive attempt to finalise a deal for the highly coveted midfielder.
However, despite Rangers driving the figures up to meet previous expectations, leaders at the Humska stadium have flatly knocked back the approach and moved the financial goalposts entirely.
Which midfielder can make Rangers title winners?
Danny Rohl is looking to sign at least one…
Inside the multi-million pound negotiations for Vanja Dragojevic
The details of the back-and-forth negotiations reveal a highly frustrating standoff for Derek McInnes and the Rangers recruitment team, with Partizan continually raising their demands the closer the club get.
Rangers’ opening gambit of £3.8million was quickly brushed aside, with whispers out of Belgrade at the time indicating that Partizan wanted a package worth at least £4.7million.
In response, the Premiership heavyweights compromised and launched a vastly improved second offer of £4.3m upfront, loaded with performance bonuses and a 7% sell-on clause.
Instead of accepting the middle ground, Partizan appear to have completely shifted the parameters.
They are now demanding a flat fee of £5.6m, a locked-in 10% cut of any future sale, and enhanced bonus structures.
A written message outlining these steep new financial demands was delivered back to Glasgow, with Partizan now waiting to see if the Rangers board has the stomach to bridge the financial gap.
The Serbian club are hoping to hear from the Glasgwegian outfit by the end of Wednesday.
If Lewis Ferguson joins post the World Cup, who should Derek McInnes name the Rangers captain?
This is assuming Nicolas Raskin leaves Rangers…
Partizan wrap Dragojevic in bubble wrap amid Rangers talks
While the multi-million-pound chess match plays out in the boardrooms, the clearer indicator that a transfer is highly active comes directly from the training pitch in Slovenia, where Partizan are holding their pre-season camp.
Partizan are treating their prodigy with extreme caution. While Dragojevic continues to participate in full tactical training sessions with his teammates, the club have barred him from playing in any active pre-season matches.
He was completely withdrawn from their recent fixture against Neftci and will not play any part in upcoming games against Lokomotiv Zagreb or Nafta Lendava.
Partizan are explicitly protecting their prized asset, completely refusing to risk an unneeded injury complication that could compromise his life-changing move to Scotland.
