Rangers are working through the final details of their £4.6 million swoop for Vanja Dragojevic as they rush to get the Partizan Belgrade skipper signed up in time for Wednesday's St-Etienne clash. However, reports suggesting Rangers have stepped up their move for Tromso star Jens Hjerto-Dahl are false.
Dragojevic Transfer Nears Completion
Record Sport broke the news on Thursday afternoon that while Ibrox bosses had an agreement for Dragojevic in place, their hopes of landing Norwegian Under-21 playmaker Hjerto-Dahl were fading amid competition from Cardiff. A story then emerged online 24 hours later claiming Rangers and Tromso had shaken hands on the terms of a £6.6 million package. But sources close to Hjerto-Dahl have dismissed these reports, insisting Rangers have yet to reach the Arctic outfit's asking price.
The latest developments will come as a bitter blow to the Ibrox faithful. Excitement levels were sent soaring again over the weekend when the highly-rated attacker netted a sensational solo strike in Tromso's 4-1 Eliteserien win over Hamarkameratene. It remains to be seen if the Govan outfit will return to the negotiating table, but the likelihood is that any future move will depend on Rangers cashing in on Nico Raskin.
McInnes Hopes for Dragojevic Arrival Before St-Etienne Friendly
In the meantime, Ibrox chiefs hope the impending arrival of Dragojevic will console those waiting for positive news on Hjerto-Dahl. Derek McInnes will make his Ibrox dugout debut as Rangers boss on Wednesday as his new-look side are given their first public workout against the French outfit. Record Sport understands the Light Blues boss hopes to have the Serbian anchorman on board by the time the game kicks off.
Dragojevic has yet to touchdown in Scotland, but Rangers are confident his arrival won't be far off, with only the last pieces of paperwork to be resolved. Rangers tabled a £3.8 million package earlier this month but saw it knocked back. They've now upped that to £4.6 million, with a 10 percent sell-on clause also included in the offer.
Summer Signings and Outgoings
Once concluded, the deal will make the 20-year-old the seventh new arrival to check in this summer, following the signings of Lawrence Shankland, Ben Godfrey, Dan Neil, Ross McCrorie, Cammy Devlin, and goalkeeper Ivor Pandur. Heading in the other direction, Danilo is set to clinch a season-long switch back to Brazil with Botafogo after an agreement was reached on a loan that includes an option to buy. John Souttar is also holding discussions on a move to England.
But having spent the last few weeks stiffening the spine of his team, McInnes is keen now to beef up his attacking options. However, the funds for that will have to come from the sale of Raskin. Chairman Andrew Cavenagh is looking for a fee north of £20 million after the Belgium international's hugely impressive showing during the Red Devil's run to the World Cup quarter-final. La Liga outfits Real Betis and Villarreal are both monitoring his situation but are yet to produce the cash Cavenagh is demanding.
