Rangers’ bid to bring Mikey Moore back to Ibrox for a second loan spell has hit a significant obstacle, with Borussia Dortmund now reportedly in the race for the Tottenham winger’s signature.
The backdrop to this pursuit is a Rangers side trying to close the gap on last season’s Scottish Premiership winners, Celtic, having also finished behind Hearts in the final table. It’s Hearts’ former manager, Derek McInnes, who has now been brought in to try to replicate that success at Ibrox, and there’s clearly optimism building around the club heading into the new campaign.
That optimism has been fuelled partly by incoming transfer business. Rangers have already added Lawrence Shankland, Ivor Pandur, Dan Neil, Ross McCrorie and Ben Godfrey to the squad, with McInnes himself indicating further additions are likely before the window closes. High on that wish list, according to reporting, is a reunion with Moore following his impressive loan spell last season — though that particular deal is proving far from straightforward.
The Athletic’s reporting suggests Borussia Dortmund have entered the picture as serious contenders for a loan move, and their involvement carries real weight given the club’s track record with young talent. Dortmund have built a reputation over the years for developing highly rated prospects, having previously brought through players like Jadon Sancho, Jude Bellingham and, more recently, Carney Chukwuemeka.
Any deal for Moore would be structured as a loan rather than a permanent sale, since Tottenham have no interest in parting with him outright. There’s a possibility, however, that Spurs could be open to revisiting that stance down the line if the arrangement works well and the club continues strengthening its squad elsewhere.
What makes Dortmund’s interest particularly difficult for Rangers to counter isn’t just the pull of Bundesliga football, but everything that comes with it — a Champions League platform and a different level and style of competition entirely. For a club like Tottenham assessing where best to send a developing academy player, that kind of contrast in footballing environment tends to carry real appeal, since clubs generally want a loanee to experience varied conditions and challenges in order to keep progressing. A second season back at Rangers, however successful the first one was, wouldn’t offer Moore that same change of scenery.
None of this means Rangers are out of the running, and there’s clear evidence the club’s interest in bringing Moore back is genuine and longstanding. Former head coach Danny Röhl, speaking before his own departure from Ibrox, was open about wanting the teenager to return, praising the strides Moore had made during his time in Scotland and the value of the experience he’d gained playing for a big club. Röhl also acknowledged that any final decision would involve more than just the football department’s view, noting that the relationship Moore had built with supporters suggested he was happy at the club, even if the ultimate call would rest with a wider group of people.
Although Röhl has since moved on, the sentiment inside Ibrox reportedly hasn’t changed, which explains why Rangers remain keen to re-open talks this summer. Moore’s output last season backs up that enthusiasm — the young Spurs winger scored seven goals and added three assists in the Premiership during his loan year at the club.
With Dortmund now circling and able to offer a footballing proposition Rangers simply can’t match — Champions League football, a top-five European league, and a genuinely different developmental step — Ibrox chiefs face a tougher fight than last summer to convince both Tottenham and Moore himself that a second season in Glasgow is the right move. The coming weeks, as clubs finalise their squads for the new campaign, look set to determine which direction the teenager’s loan spell ultimately takes.
