Rangers Transfer Reshuffle: McInnes Targets Four New Signings
Rangers are braced for a frantic final month of the transfer window, with Derek McInnes pushing for up to four more additions – but only once a wave of departures clears space in a squad still very much under construction.
Olwethu Makhanya’s arrival from Philadelphia Union has given the Ibrox side a fresh option at the back, a first building block rather than a finishing touch. The real churn is still to come.
Outgoings set the tone
The exits have already started. Oliver Antman has sealed his move to Anderlecht, trimming the attacking options and underlining that this rebuild will not be gentle. Nedim Bajrami is also edging towards a switch to the Saudi Pro League, another creative presence likely to disappear from McInnes’ board.
Those moves are only the start. Rangers expect a “plethora” of departures before the window shuts, and the manager’s plans hinge on how quickly – and how profitably – the club can move players on.
One name looms larger than the rest. Nico Raskin.
The Belgian midfielder is valued at more than £20 million and continues to draw serious interest from Villarreal and other European clubs. Any sale at that level would represent the biggest financial injection of the summer and would hand McInnes a powerful lever to reshape his squad in one sweep.
The dilemma is obvious: lose a key figure in the middle of the park, gain the funds to rebuild the flanks and the defence in the way he wants. For now, another central midfielder is not on the immediate shopping list, unless Rangers manage to offload Connor Barron, Mo Diomande or Raskin himself. That stance has put the brakes on any quick move for Tromso’s Jens Herto Dahl.
Width and steel at the heart of the plan
McInnes has been clear in private and in his planning sessions: Rangers need more threat out wide. The flanks are the priority.
The club are actively hunting two wingers before the deadline, desperate to inject greater firepower and unpredictability in the final third. Antman’s departure only sharpens that need. This Rangers side cannot afford to be narrow or predictable with a domestic title race and European qualifiers looming.
At the same time, the manager wants two more defenders. Makhanya is one piece, not the full puzzle. With John Souttar widely expected to leave, defensive cover has become non-negotiable. The back line has to be deeper, quicker, more adaptable, if Rangers are to cope with the grind of a long season at home and abroad.
Tannadice opener adds urgency
All of this plays out against a ticking clock. Rangers open their new Premiership campaign on Friday night away to Dundee United at Tannadice, a fixture that offers no time for gentle introductions.
McInnes wants his new faces through the door as quickly as possible so they can bed in before the schedule turns unforgiving. Domestic demands will collide with European commitments within weeks. There is no margin for a slow start.
The summer has already brought change, but inside Ibrox there is a firm acceptance that this is only phase one. The squad McInnes has inherited is in transition, caught between eras, and the next few weeks will go a long way to deciding whether Rangers can be genuinely competitive on all fronts or merely hopeful challengers.
What is not in doubt is the backing. The club will continue to be supported by the 49ers, and that financial muscle, aligned with a major sale such as Raskin’s, could yet turn a cautious rebuild into something far more aggressive.
For now, the equation is stark. Clear the decks. Land two wingers. Secure two defenders. Hit Tannadice running.
By the time the window closes just over a month from now, we will know whether this Rangers squad has been merely tweaked – or torn up and rebuilt for a season that demands far more than standing still.
