If Lyon thought a minor financial tweak would be enough to crack the windows at Rangers, they have been met with a resounding, uncompromising reality check.
French heavyweights Lyon have placed Rangers striker Youssef Chermiti at the top of their summer wishlist as they look to replace Endrick following his return to Real Madrid.
According to French outlet Foot Mercato, the Ligue 1 club are preparing an initial offer of around £12million for the 22-year-old, with the total package reaching £15million after add-ons.
However, any hope of luring the Portuguese centre-forward to France has been definitively shut down, as the response from Ibrox is completely unyielding.
As per Foot Mercato chief editor Sebastien Denis, even an increased offer of £17m will not be sufficient to let Chermiti leave Scotland this summer.
The reason is simply, definitive and highly encouraging for the Ibrox faithful: Rangers absolutely want to keep him.
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Lyon head of recruitment Benjamin Charrier has even contacted the Premiership heavyweights directly to express their genuine interest in Chermiti, but to no avail so far.
By digging their heels in and delivering an explicit, immediate rejection to a £17m proposal, the Rangers hierarchy are playing a masterful long game.
This is an acute piece of market calculation. Andrew Cavenagh and Co. know exactly what they have in the 6ft 3in forward.
Strikers of Chermiti’s physical profile who boast elite hold-up play and clinical execution at his age are an increasingly endangered species in European football.
It is exactly the kind of iron-fist approach that fans on TalkingPoints have been clamouring to see for years.
Supporters frequently point out that the club desperately need to break the cycle of short-changing themselves, emphasising that Rangers must start holding out for absolute premium, maximum fees for their top talent in the exact same manner Celtic have mastered across the city.
In a discussion about Nicolas Raskin on TalkingPoints, jjamieson1962 wrote: “It’s time we stand by our policy and get the correct money for all the players we are selling. If he played for Celtic, they would want around £30m.”
By keeping the Portugal Under-21 international in Govan for another full season, Rangers are protecting an asset whose financial value is on a steep, vertical trajectory.
If he mirrors or improves upon his 15 goals and five assists breakout campaign over the next 12 months, the current £25m price tag will look ridiculously low by next summer.
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Why Chermiti is worth fighting for at Rangers
Rangers ‘absolute’ desire to keep Chermiti is a statement of intent. It indicates that the club are prioritising sporting success and long-term capital growth over a quick, immediate injection of cash to balance the ledger.
The transformation of Chermiti under proper tactical guidance has shown that his ceiling is high. Selling him now for a standard, mid-tier continental fee, just as he has been completely unlocked, would be an act of sporting and financial negligence.
Lyon can continue to deliberate with their head of recruitment all day long, but Rangers have drawn their battle lines.
They know Chermiti is a multi-million-pound superstar in waiting, and by standing defiant now, they ensure they reap the massive rewards tomorrow.
