10 players who could leave Rangers before the transfer deadline – including midfield trio 2 days ago The Scotsman
Rangers’ summer of upheaval under new boss Derek McInnes shows no signs of slowing as the September 1 deadline approaches. Having already brought in 11 new signings this window — with more still to follow — the club is now working through a corresponding wave of departures, as McInnes reshapes the squad he inherited following last season’s disappointing third-place finish under previous head coach Danny Rohl.
While Rangers have already allowed several players to leave this summer, a number of futures remain unresolved heading into deadline week. Here’s what’s known about the situation.
The most significant storyline concerns Rangers’ midfield, where as many as four players have been positioned as possible departures following a summer of heavy investment in that area. Vanja Dragojevic’s arrival, alongside Cammy Devlin and Dan Neil, gave Rangers three new midfield options before the window had even reached its final stretch — a level of reinforcement that inevitably squeezed the players already on the books.
Nicolas Raskin remains the most prominent name in that conversation. Interest has been reported from Villarreal and Real Betis, with Villarreal said to be leading the race, and there’s even been speculation linking him with a shock move to Manchester United. McInnes himself has acknowledged that a Raskin departure remains a live possibility, while stopping short of confirming any concrete offer has been accepted. Given the scale of interest and Raskin’s evident value on the market, his situation is likely to remain one of the defining stories of Rangers’ deadline week.
Lyall Cameron is another midfielder whose Ibrox future looks to be reaching its end. Having fallen down the pecking order amid the club’s recruitment drive, he’s been strongly tipped to depart on a permanent basis before the window closes, with his path back into regular contention looking increasingly blocked by the new arrivals ahead of him.
Mohamed Diomande rounds out the midfield contingent most closely linked with an exit. Reports have suggested that, along with Cameron, he’s unlikely to figure prominently in what the club considers its strongest available eleven, making a sale a logical step both for squad management and, potentially, for balancing the books after a heavy summer of spending elsewhere.
Beyond the midfield, several other players have been mentioned in circulation as the deadline approaches, though specifics on some remain harder to pin down. One player, a Scotland international, has reportedly been told he’s free to leave and is not part of Rangers’ plans for the season, with interest said to be coming from clubs in the English Football League. Another situation involves a young Scottish player who impressed last season but has fallen down the pecking order following the summer’s raft of new signings — a player linked with clubs on the continent, and with mooted interest from West Ham United also mentioned. A third involves a player, described as a Nigerian international, whose start to this season has been described as indifferent following a strong debut campaign at Ibrox the year before — a player who was strongly linked with Bayer Leverkusen back in January, with suggestions the Bundesliga side could return with a significant offer before the window shuts. There’s also mention of a player who joined the club on a free transfer following his contract expiring at Dundee last year, but who has barely featured since.
What’s clear, even without every name nailed down, is the scale of turnover McInnes is overseeing. Rangers have already brought in 11 new faces this summer, with further arrivals — including the well-documented pursuits of Kevin Kelsy and Kim Min-su — either completed or in their final stages. That level of incoming business was always going to squeeze the existing squad, and the club appears to be treating deadline week as an opportunity to tidy up the fringes: moving on players who no longer fit the plan, freeing up wage room, and in cases like Raskin’s, potentially generating significant funds that could be reinvested either now or in future windows.
There’s also a financial subplot worth noting. Amario Cozier-Duberry remains a live target from Brighton, according to reporting from The Athletic, and any departure — Raskin’s in particular, given the reported interest from Villarreal and Real Betis — could play directly into Rangers’ ability to fund further incoming business before the deadline passes.
For a club already dealing with a difficult start to the season, a chastening European exit, and mounting scrutiny of the manager himself, how this final week of business plays out — both incoming and outgoing — will go a long way toward shaping the read on McInnes’s first transfer window in charge.
