Raskin Is Leaving And Rangers Know It — But Here Is Why Selling Him Could Be The Best Thing That Happens To Them This Summer 🔵🔥⚽

It has been a whirlwind few weeks in Govan. If you had told Rangers fans back in May that their club would spend the early weeks of summer appointing a new manager, bringing in a proven Scottish Premiership striker, signing a former academy graduate at right-back, and simultaneously fielding serious interest from La Liga for their best midfielder — all while a World Cup is taking place on the other side of the Atlantic — they would have struggled to keep up. And yet, here we are. The summer of 2026 at Ibrox is everything at once: exciting, chaotic, hopeful, and now, just a little bit worrying.

Because the latest news surrounding Nicolas Raskin is significant. According to Spanish outlet El Desmarque, Raskin is now the most highly-regarded option for La Liga side Real Betis, with manager Manuel Pellegrini personally giving his approval to pursue the Belgian midfielder this summer. That is not idle speculation. That is a head coach at a well-established European club deciding he wants a specific player and telling his board to go and get him. And when a manager of Pellegrini’s stature and experience makes that call, clubs tend to listen.

Those inside Ibrox now believe that Raskin’s exit has become extremely likely, even though the club had initially been reluctant to cash in on their prized asset. The momentum has shifted. The question is no longer whether Raskin will leave — it is when, for how much, and what Rangers do next.

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**The Rise Of Nicolas Raskin At Ibrox**

To fully appreciate the weight of this moment, you need to go back to January 2023, when Rangers pulled off what has since proven to be one of the shrewdest pieces of transfer business in the club’s recent history.

Raskin arrived at Ibrox from Standard Liège for just £1.5 million — a fee that looked modest even at the time and now looks absolutely remarkable. Nobody outside of Belgium knew a great deal about the 22-year-old midfielder who had been playing in the Jupiler Pro League. He was seen as a promising signing, a good piece of business, but hardly a transformative arrival.

What followed was one of the great individual stories of Scottish Premiership football in recent years. Raskin adapted to his new environment with extraordinary speed and maturity. He settled into the Rangers midfield as if he had been there for years — reading the game intelligently, covering ground effortlessly, distributing the ball cleanly, and gradually adding goals and assists to his repertoire. Season by season, he got better and better.

By the 2025–26 campaign, Raskin had made 145 appearances in total for Rangers since his arrival, and last season alone he delivered seven goals and nine assists across 50 games — numbers that reflected not just his quality but his incredible consistency and durability. That kind of output from a central midfielder is genuinely rare at any level of football. At Scottish Premiership level, it made Raskin stand out as one of the very best players in the country.

His form caught the attention of the Belgian national team, who eventually handed him his international debut, and he has since gone on to earn 14 caps for the Red Devils. And now, as Belgium compete at the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Raskin is performing on the biggest stage the club game can offer — and the watching world is taking notice.

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**The World Cup Factor**

There is no getting around it. The timing of Belgium’s World Cup campaign is both a blessing and a complication for Rangers.

On one hand, every good performance Raskin puts in on the international stage increases his market value and strengthens Rangers’ negotiating position. A strong tournament could see Rangers demand even more than the £20 million they currently want to part ways with him, which would deliver an extraordinary return on their initial £1.5 million investment.

On the other hand, the more clubs that watch Raskin perform at a World Cup, the harder it becomes to hold onto him. Interest that was previously theoretical becomes concrete. Offers that were merely rumoured suddenly become formal bids. Sources have confirmed to multiple outlets that Raskin has made clear his intention to leave Ibrox this summer in search of the next step in his career. The 25-year-old is keen to test himself at a higher level after his impressive spell in Glasgow.

That is the stark reality Rangers are facing. Their best player wants to leave. Europe’s biggest clubs are circling. And a Spanish manager who has won trophies across multiple continents has now personally identified Raskin as his primary transfer target.

Sources close to Raskin have made their position clear — a transfer this summer is their absolute priority, with the World Cup viewed as the ideal platform to maximise his market value before completing a move.

Betis are not the only ones watching, either. There is strong interest from Italy, interest from Turkey, and multiple Premier League clubs have been monitoring the situation carefully. Among those who have scouted Raskin over the last 18 months are Tottenham Hotspur, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Crystal Palace, West Ham United, Leeds United, Aston Villa and Brighton. European clubs like Porto, Real Betis and Besiktas have also been watching and made previous enquiries.

The queue for Nicolas Raskin’s signature is long, and it is growing. Rangers must now manage that situation with maximum intelligence and minimum emotion.

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**The New Era At Ibrox And What It Needs**

Before we get into why selling Raskin could actually work in Rangers’ favour, it is important to understand the context of the summer so far and what Derek McInnes is trying to build.

The appointment of McInnes as Rangers manager was a bold and deliberate statement of intent. This is a man who understands Scottish football at the deepest level — who knows the clubs, the players, the dynamics, the pressures, and the specific requirements of competing with Celtic at the very top of the domestic game. He came agonisingly close to winning the Scottish Premiership with Hearts last season, falling just short in one of the most gripping title races the country has seen in years. Give him more resources, better players, and the full backing of a club the size of Rangers, and the expectation is that he can finish the job.

He has already moved quickly in the transfer market. Lawrence Shankland, who served under McInnes at Tynecastle and was one of the most prolific strikers in Scottish football last season, has arrived at Ibrox to provide goals. Then came Ross McCrorie — a full-circle moment for a player who came through the Rangers academy before leaving to develop himself elsewhere.

McCrorie expressed his delight after completing his return, telling the club website: “I really enjoyed it down in England, it was a top top league, but the only way I would’ve come back to Scotland was for Rangers. To get the opportunity was a dream come true, and I am absolutely buzzing to get going.”

McInnes welcomed him warmly too, saying: “Ross is someone I signed for Aberdeen from Rangers, and at that time he wanted to go out and prove himself, which I think says a lot for him. He has developed and improved as a player, he has got that added experience, he is a full international now, and he knows the club inside out.”

This is a manager who knows exactly what he wants — players with character, experience, and a genuine connection to the challenge of winning in Scotland. McCrorie fits that profile. Shankland fits that profile. And now McInnes needs to decide how the Raskin situation fits into that vision, because the Belgian midfielder is the most complicated and consequential piece of this summer’s puzzle.

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**Why Real Betis Make Sense As A Destination**

Of all the clubs linked with Raskin, Real Betis are perhaps the most interesting and the most credible destination for the midfielder right now.

It is worth noting that Real Betis actually made a concrete offer for Raskin last year, only to be deterred by Rangers’ asking price at the time. This is not a new interest invented by agents trying to drum up a bidding war. This is a club that genuinely wants Raskin, that tried to sign him before, and is now coming back with renewed determination and, apparently, the funds to make it happen.

Manuel Pellegrini has given his personal nod of approval to bring the Belgian midfielder to the Benito Villamarín this summer, which is significant. Pellegrini is one of the most respected and experienced managers in world football — a man who has guided clubs to major honours in England, Spain, and the Middle East. When a manager of his calibre says he wants a specific player, it sends a powerful message to the transfer market and to the player himself.

La Liga is also one of the most technically demanding leagues in Europe, and the prospect of testing himself in Spain’s top flight would be hugely appealing to a player of Raskin’s ambition. It is a different kind of challenge from the Premier League, perhaps, but an equally prestigious one — and for a midfielder who thrives on technical quality and tactical intelligence, the Spanish game could suit him very well.

For Rangers, a clean sale to Betis — for the full £20 million asking price or close to it — would represent the ideal outcome. Money in the bank, player moved on to a strong European club that suits him, and the cleanest possible break with which to fund the next chapter of McInnes’s rebuild.

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**The Case For Selling Raskin**

Now here is the argument that some Rangers fans will find difficult to hear, but which is important to make clearly and honestly.

Selling Raskin this summer is probably the right thing to do.

That statement does not diminish Raskin’s quality, his contribution to the club, or the genuine sadness that will come with seeing him leave. He has been a fantastic servant to Rangers. He deserves enormous credit for everything he has given in the blue jersey. But football is a business as much as it is a sport, and the business case for selling Raskin is compelling.

Rangers are understood to value Raskin at around £20 million. That figure would represent a stunning return on their original investment and would hand McInnes a transfer budget that could genuinely transform the squad across multiple positions.

The key question is not whether Raskin is a good player — he clearly is. The question is whether he is irreplaceable. And the honest answer is that no individual player, however talented, should be considered truly irreplaceable at a club with Rangers’ ambitions. The best-run clubs in world football are those that sell at peak value and reinvest wisely. They do not allow sentiment to prevent them from making smart decisions. They understand that the goal is always the collective success of the team, not the preservation of any single individual.

Rangers are aware that if they do sell Raskin, they could use the money to strengthen elsewhere in the squad across multiple areas that need attention. With McInnes identified as the right man to lead the club forward, giving him the full financial backing to build his team from scratch — rather than having to work around pre-existing structures — could prove to be the decision that finally tips the balance in the title race with Celtic.

There is also the contract situation to consider. Raskin has two years remaining on his deal, which gives Rangers a strong negotiating position right now. But that window will not stay open forever. If Rangers allow this summer to pass without selling, they risk entering a situation next year where Raskin has only twelve months left on his contract and clubs can start talking directly to him about a pre-contract agreement. At that point, Rangers’ leverage disappears almost entirely. Sell now, at full value, while the World Cup spotlight is shining brightest and the bidding war is at its most intense.

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**What Happens Next**

The coming weeks will be decisive. Belgium’s World Cup campaign will either enhance or complicate Raskin’s market value depending on how far the Red Devils progress in the tournament. Real Betis, Bologna, Atalanta, and the circling Premier League clubs will all be assessing their options and preparing formal bids. And Rangers’ board, led by CEO Andrew Cavenagh, will need to make a call that balances short-term financial gain with long-term sporting ambition.

McInnes will need to bolster his midfield options this summer regardless of whether Raskin leaves or not. Potential replacement targets are already being discussed behind the scenes at Ibrox. The Lewis Ferguson swap deal with Bologna remains an intriguing possibility, though sources have cautioned that such a complex arrangement would be difficult to complete. Cammy Devlin has reportedly already agreed personal terms with the club on a free transfer. Dan Neil has also been mentioned as a target.

The point is that Rangers are not standing still. They are planning for a future with or without Raskin, and the signs suggest they are doing so with clarity and intelligence.

If the right offer comes in — and at this point, it is hard to imagine that it will not — Rangers should take it. Take the £20 million, back their manager with the proceeds, and trust that McInnes has the knowledge, the contacts, and the tactical intelligence to rebuild a midfield that can compete with Celtic for the title.

Raskin leaving will hurt. It will feel like a loss, because it is. But it could also be the moment that sets Rangers up for something bigger — the moment they turn a departure into an opportunity, the moment they take the money and use it to build a squad capable of ending Celtic’s dominance of Scottish football once and for all.