Rangers playmaker Ianis Hagi was one of two players eyed by Serie A side Cagliari in 2019 – but they opted for a player who had the same nationality as the wife of the club’s owner instead.
That’s as reported by reputable Romanian journalist Emanuel Rosu, who claims Hagi was wanted by the Italian outfit before he joined Rangers permanently in a £3m deal [Glasgow Times].
Rosu claims that the agent of Dinamo Zagreb’s Romanian centre-back Ricardo Grigore was close to a move to Cagliari last season.
In the same breath, the journalist mentions claims that the Serie A club wanted to move for Hagi but opted to move for Bulgarian attacker Kiril Despodov instead.
The reason? The wife of Cagliari owner Tommaso Giulini if from Bulgaria.
It’s an interesting claim from the agent and this looks to have taken place before Ianis signed on at Ibrox.
Despodov moved from CSKA Sofia in his homeland to Cagliari at the end of January 2019 – a year before Hagi signed on at Ibrox, initially on loan.
At this point, Hagi was playing in Romania for his father’s club Viitorial Constanta and would move to RC Genk in Belgium in July the same year.
However, things didn’t work out at Genk and within six months the attacking midfielder found himself at Rangers.
Announcing himself with that legendary comeback double in the 3-2 Europa League win over Braga weeks later, since then Hagi hasn’t looked back at Ibrox.
But how differently things might’ve been had Tomasso Giulini opted to marry someone from Romania instead?
Interestingly, Kiril Despodov – the player who Cagliari opted to sign instead – now plays for potential Champions League Playoff opponents Ludogorets back in Bulgaria.
The forward’s time in Italy never worked out and following a spell with Sturm Graz in Austria he is now playing for the Bulgarian Champions.
Despodov also scored Ludogorets’ goal as they drew 1-1 with Olympiakos in the first leg of the tie.
Speaking of Ianis Hagi, read more about what Steven Gerrard had to say regarding his absence from Rangers’ 2-1 Champions League defeat to Malmo.
