Friday Transfer Round-Up: Raskin’s Future in Doubt, Hatate Eyes Bigger Stage, Rangers Chase French Defender
Scottish football’s summer transfer window has moved from a slow burn into something closer to a full boil. Rangers, Hearts, Dundee United and Aberdeen have all made significant additions to their squads in the opening weeks of the window, and Friday morning’s headlines suggest the pace shows no sign of slowing. From a Rangers midfielder edging closer to a lucrative move abroad, to a Celtic playmaker publicly airing his ambitions to leave Parkhead, to a rising Dundee talent completing a switch south of the border, there is no shortage of storylines to track heading into the heart of s
Of all the stories dominating the Scottish football conversation this week, none carries quite the weight of Nico Raskin’s uncertain future at Ibrox. The Belgian midfielder, who has established himself as one of the most influential players in the Rangers engine room since his arrival in January 2023, is once again the subject of serious continental interest — and this time, it looks increasingly likely that a departure could actually materialise once his involvement with Belgium at this summer’s World Cup comes to an end.
Raskin’s rise at Ibrox has been one of the genuine success stories of recent Rangers transfer business. Signed from Belgian side Standard Liège for a fee in the region of £2million, he arrived as a promising but relatively unproven talent and has since developed into a genuine first-team fixture, racking up close to 150 appearances across all competitions and contributing 13 goals along the way. For a central midfielder, that is a productive return, and it reflects the way Raskin has grown into a box-to-box role that combines defensive discipline with a willingness to arrive late into the penalty area.
It is precisely that profile — technically composed, physically robust, comfortable both shielding a back line and driving forward — that has made him such an attractive proposition for clubs across Europe. Reports this week, relayed by Sky Sports’ transfer insider Luca Bendoni, indicate that Italian side Bologna remain firmly in the picture for Raskin’s signature, continuing interest that has been simmering for some time. What is new, however, is the emergence of a fresh suitor in La Liga: Real Betis, fresh off Europa League qualification, are said to be preparing to enter the race under manager Manuel Pellegrini, setting up a potential tussle between Serie A and Spanish top-flight interest for the 24-year-old’s services.
The context here matters. Raskin still has two years remaining on his existing contract at Ibrox, which in theory gives Rangers some leverage in negotiations — clubs are rarely able to prise away a player with that much contract security without paying a substantial fee. But leverage in football transfers is rarely just about paperwork. A player who has made clear, even implicitly, that his long-term future may lie elsewhere can quickly become difficult to build a squad around, and Rangers will be acutely aware that letting speculation drag on into the season proper risks unsettling both player and dressing room alike.
There is also a broader footballing logic at play. Raskin’s stock has arguably never been higher. He is coming off a World Cup involvement with a talented Belgian national side, he is now firmly the right side of 24, and he plays a position — the modern, mobile central midfielder capable of both breaking up play and progressing it — that remains one of the most sought-after profiles in the European transfer market. If Rangers are ever going to cash in on him for a fee that reflects his development since 2023, this summer, with multiple suitors driving up competition, may represent the peak of his resale value.
For Rangers supporters, there will be a natural tension here. Raskin has been one of the more reliable performers in a Rangers midfield that, like the defence discussed elsewhere in recent transfer coverage, has not always delivered the consistency needed to close the gap on Celtic. Losing him without an adequate replacement lined up would represent a real footballing risk. But if a bidding war between Bologna and Real Betis drives his valuation up significantly, the calculus for the Ibrox board may become less about resisting the sale and more about how quickly, and how well, that fee can be reinvested.
Reo Hatate: Celtic’s Reluctant Departure Candidate
Across the city, Celtic are dealing with a rather different flavour of transfer uncertainty. Japanese international Reo Hatate has become the latest Parkhead player to publicly acknowledge ambitions that may not be compatible with staying at the club, telling reporters this week that he wants to test himself in “a top five league” — diplomatic phrasing that nonetheless leaves little doubt about his broader intentions.
Hatate’s Celtic career, on the whole, has been an emphatic success. Arriving from Kawasaki Frontale in January 2022, he quickly established himself as a key creative presence in a Celtic midfield that went on to dominate domestic competition, playing a central role in the club’s sustained title success in the years that followed. For a player who arrived from the J.League with relatively modest fanfare, becoming one of the first names on the team sheet at one of Scottish football’s dominant clubs represents a significant achievement.
This past season, however, told a different story. Hatate endured a difficult campaign by his own standards, falling out of favour under manager Martin O’Neill for spells of the season and, perhaps most tellingly for a player of international standing, missing out on selection for Japan’s World Cup squad this summer. That omission appears to have been something of a catalyst. Speaking this week, Hatate reflected candidly on his level of satisfaction with where his career currently stands, describing his Champions League involvement as evidence of what is possible at a higher level, while also acknowledging that he has not managed to sustain that level of performance across a full season. His stated goal — regular football in the Champions League or Europa League — is a clear signal that he sees his long-term future outside Scotland.
It is worth noting the pattern this fits into. Celtic have historically used the Scottish Premiership as something of a proving ground for talents recruited from less heavily scouted markets — Japan chief among them in recent years — before selling them on at a significant profit once European clubs come calling. Hatate’s situation, on paper, fits that model closely. Whether Celtic ultimately choose to cash in this summer, attempt to convince him to fight for his place again under O’Neill, or simply let the situation play out over a longer timeline remains to be seen.
Celtic, for their part, appear to already be planning for life without some of their existing options between the posts and further up the pitch. The club are reported to be strong favourites to sign Las Palmas goalkeeper Dinko Horkas, with a bid of £3.5million said to have already been submitted for the Croatian stopper. Whether that particular deal is connected to broader squad planning around Hatate’s situation, or simply a separate piece of business entirely, Celtic’s transfer activity this week suggests a club willing to move decisively once a target is identified.
Luke Graham Completes Big-Money Move to England
While Rangers and Celtic dominate the uncertainty column of this week’s transfer news, Dundee have provided one of the more concrete pieces of business, confirming the departure of highly-rated young centre-back Luke Graham to English Championship side Stoke City in a deal worth around £2million.
Graham’s rise has been one of the more compelling stories in Scottish football over the past year. The Scotland Under-21 international spent the last six months attracting serious interest from across the English football pyramid, with both Portsmouth and Queens Park Rangers having bids in the region of £1million rejected by Dundee as recently as January. Rangers themselves were understood to be monitoring the defender’s situation closely, seen by many as strong contenders to secure his signature given the club’s well-documented need for defensive reinforcements this summer.
In the end, however, it was Stoke City who moved decisively to secure his signature, agreeing a four-year contract that ties Graham to the Bet365 Stadium well into the future. Speaking after the move was completed, Graham did not hide his excitement at the switch, describing the feeling of joining Stoke as a “privilege” and explaining that he had been aware of the club’s interest for some time before the deal was finalised. He pointed to the presence of other significant signings already arriving at the club as evidence that Stoke are a side building serious momentum, describing the club as one that is clearly aiming for a return to the Premier League — “where it belongs,” in his own words.
For Dundee, losing a player of Graham’s calibre for a fee in the region of £2million represents solid business given his contract situation and the level of interest circling him, even if there will inevitably be some frustration that Rangers’ reported interest never developed into a concrete offer capable of keeping him north of the border. For Stoke, meanwhile, the signing continues what appears to be an ambitious summer of recruitment as the club pushes to close the gap towards the Premier League places, adding a versatile, well-regarded young defender with room to continue developing at Championship level.
Rangers Turn Attention to Ligue 2’s Sankhoun Diawara
Rangers’ summer defensive rebuild, which has already brought McCrorie, Godfrey and Pandur through the Ibrox door this window, shows little sign of slowing, with reports now indicating the club have made a formal enquiry for Troyes centre-back Sankhoun Diawara. The move underlines just how seriously Rangers are treating their defensive frailties from last season, when the club conceded more goals in the Premiership than Celtic, Hearts and Motherwell — a statistic that has clearly informed the club’s recruitment priorities this summer.
Diawara, just 20 years old, was one of the standout performers as Troyes secured promotion back to Ligue 1 last season, establishing himself as a regular in a defence that helped drive Les Champenois back into the French top flight. That kind of impact at such a young age has, predictably, attracted attention from elsewhere, and Rangers now find themselves competing with Swiss Pro League champions FC Basel for his signature — a club reported to already be making significant progress in talks over a potential move.
The situation at Troyes appears to give both suitors an opening. According to reports from France, the club remain keen on extending Diawara’s contract given the calibre of player they clearly believe they possess, but with the defender entering the final year of his existing deal and reportedly showing little appetite to sign an extension, a summer sale looks increasingly likely regardless of which club ultimately wins the race for his signature.
For Rangers, an enquiry of this nature — arriving as Basel appear to be edging closer to an agreement — suggests a club unwilling to let a promising young defender slip away without at least testing the water. Whether that translates into a concrete bid capable of matching or beating whatever Basel are offering remains to be seen, but the interest itself fits a clear pattern in Rangers’ business this summer: identify defensive solutions, whether experienced (as with the returns of proven performers) or developmental (as with a 20-year-old already showing top-flight quality in France), and move quickly once a need is identified.
The Bigger Picture
Taken together, Friday’s headlines offer a useful snapshot of where Scottish football’s two biggest clubs currently stand as the transfer window moves through its opening weeks. Rangers appear to be a club in the process of both building and defending simultaneously — chasing defensive reinforcements on one front while attempting to manage the very real possibility of losing one of their most productive midfielders on another. Celtic, meanwhile, face a version of the same challenge from a position of greater recent success, weighing up how to handle a player who has been central to their dominance but who now appears to have one eye on a bigger stage.
For neutral observers, the presence of clubs like Bologna, Real Betis, FC Basel and Stoke City circling Scottish talent this summer is itself a reminder of the growing visibility of the Scottish Premiership on the wider European recruitment radar. Whether that translates into a strong finish to the transfer window for either of Glasgow’s leading clubs will become clearer over the coming weeks, but for now, Friday’s bulletin leaves little doubt: this is shaping up to be one of the more eventful transfer windows Scottish football has seen in some time.
