Nico Raskin is on the verge of leaving Rangers after the midfielder was left out of the squad for the Conference League play-off second-leg tie against FK Jablonec in the Czech Republic.
Manager Derek McInnes confirmed the 25-year-old Belgian is close to a big-money move after impressing at the World Cup for his country, with interest from England and abroad throughout the summer.
Manager confirms transfer talks
McInnes said: “Nico hasn’t travelled. It has nothing to do with injury or anything like that. It’s just with the potential of a transfer. We’re so late in the window, maybe it’s something the club is now looking at.”
He added: “He trained this morning but has been left back in Glasgow. When I came into the job, it was quite clear that there was going to be an opportunity for Nico. There’s been plenty of interest in him. We believe that interest has stepped up over the last couple of days.”
McInnes expects Rangers to receive a hefty fee for Raskin, saying: “If Nico stays beyond the window, then it would be great to work with him. But if he doesn’t, we wish him well. Everything moves on and Nico served the club well. There’s an opportunity for him and the club to capitalise on that with a transfer fee.”
Double deal close
Rangers are also close to announcing the £8.5 million signing of Korean winger Kim Min-su from Girona after he completed a medical, with the club meeting his release clause. He could be available for Sunday’s Premiership trip to Aberdeen.
The club are also nearing a £9 million deal for Portland Timbers striker Kevin Kelsy, with McInnes saying: “We're close to one. With Min-su, we've been really active on that. We can’t announce anything at the minute but it wouldn’t be a million miles away to suggest that hopefully that one happens for us.”
He added: “We’re still working on one or two other things. The sooner we get them in, the better. But the club are working hard to try and deliver the players that we require for the season ahead. Maybe if we can get things resolved over the next 24 or 48 hours, they might have a chance for the game on Sunday.”
Other potential departures
Reports in Italy say Parma and Monza have bid for Rangers winger Djeidi Gassama, but they have yet to meet the club’s valuation. Connor Barron, John Souttar, Ross McCausland, Clinton Nsiala and Lyall Cameron could also leave before the end of the transfer window.
McInnes said: “I don't know because we’ve been training and travelling a lot. We’ll probably get an update on things over the next 24 hours. But I would expect we’ll still have some players that could maybe look to move and try and get regular football. A natural consequence of that is players moving out.”
Rangers lead 1-0 from the first leg over Jablonec as they look to reach the Conference League group phase, and McInnes has been boosted by the return of centre-back Ben Godfrey, who is back in the squad to face the Czechs.
