🔄 Two European Giants ‘Top of List’ for Rangers Star Nico Raskin Exit
Rangers midfielder Nico Raskin looks increasingly likely to be on his way out of Ibrox before the summer transfer window closes, with reports from the continent naming two European heavyweights as the clubs leading the chase for his signature. Villarreal and AS Roma are said to be the two clubs sitting at the “top of the list” for the Belgian international, whose stock has risen sharply following a standout showing at this summer’s World Cup.
Raskin has been a mainstay of the Rangers midfield since arriving from Standard Liège back in 2023, establishing himself as one of the most consistent performers in Derek McInnes’ squad and, before that, under the previous regimes at Ibrox. His performances on the biggest stage in international football this summer have only accelerated interest from elsewhere, with Belgium reaching the quarter-final stage of the tournament and Raskin playing a prominent role throughout their run. It is exactly the sort of exposure that tends to trigger a fresh wave of suitors, and that is precisely what appears to be happening now as the transfer window edges towards its final weeks.
According to Belgian outlet VoetbalKrant, it is Roma, managed by Gian Piero Gasperini, who currently hold the slight edge in the race for Raskin’s signature, with the Serie A side reportedly casting an eye over the 25-year-old as a potential option should regular midfielder Manu Koné depart the Stadio Olimpico this summer, a scenario Manchester United are said to be monitoring closely given their own interest in the Frenchman. Villarreal, meanwhile, are also credited with genuine interest of their own, and while the La Liga club are understood to be running Roma close, it is the Italian side who appear to have their nose slightly in front at this stage of proceedings. Raskin is even said to have been watched in person by Roma representatives during Rangers’ clash with the Giallorossi last season, adding a layer of familiarity to the speculation that has now built around a possible summer move.
It is not just those two clubs whose names have been credited with interest in Raskin over recent days, either. Reports elsewhere have linked the midfielder with a host of other sides across England and Europe, including Aston Villa, who are believed to have registered strong interest following his World Cup exploits, along with newly promoted Premier League side Hull City. On the continent, Real Betis, Atalanta and Bologna have all been mentioned as clubs keeping tabs on the situation, illustrating just how widely Raskin’s stock has risen since the tournament concluded. It amounts to a genuinely crowded field of admirers for a player who, only twelve months ago, might not have been considered quite so firmly on the radar of clubs operating at that level, and it speaks to the impact his performances for Belgium this summer have had on his overall profile in the game.
Derek McInnes has been upfront about the situation surrounding his prized midfielder, making clear in recent days that he is fully braced for the prospect of losing Raskin before the window shuts. Speaking after Rangers wrapped up their pre-season schedule with a goalless draw against West Ham United at Ibrox, the Gers boss was asked directly whether the Belgian would have any part to play in Friday’s Scottish Premiership opener against Dundee United at Tannadice, and his answer left little doubt over how the club is approaching the situation. “Not for the opening part of the season he won’t but going forward…” McInnes began, before going into considerably more depth about the thinking behind Raskin’s continued absence from matchday plans.
“Obviously Nico might be subject to some interest, we’re well aware of that, and we always thought he could be a flight risk this summer in the back of the World Cup,” McInnes said. It is a striking admission from a manager only weeks into the job, but one that reflects the reality of modern football, where a standout tournament can transform a player’s market value and options almost overnight. Rather than simply hoping the situation resolves itself, McInnes indicated that Rangers have already taken pre-emptive action in the transfer market to protect themselves against the possibility of losing their Belgian international. “So we’ve reinforced the midfield area, but obviously if nothing comes in for Nico then he’s another good player to add to it,” he continued, making clear that any incoming offer for Raskin would not leave Rangers short-handed in that part of the pitch given the business already conducted elsewhere this summer.
McInnes went further still, outlining just how well stocked he now considers his midfield options to be regardless of what happens with Raskin between now and deadline day. “The one area of the pitch where I’m really strong is through the middle of the park just now,” he said, a comment that will likely be interpreted as much as a message to prospective suitors as it is a reflection of genuine squad depth. It suggests a manager who is not going to be held to ransom over a single player’s situation, no matter how influential that player has been for the club in recent seasons, and it points to a summer of recruitment that has left Rangers in a stronger overall position through the centre of the pitch than perhaps first appeared to be the case from the outside looking in.
On the specific matter of Friday’s trip to Tannadice, McInnes was unambiguous that Raskin will play no part regardless of how the wider transfer saga eventually plays out. “Nico will be back this week, but he won’t come into contention for the game on Friday, he’s not going to do enough training ahead of that,” the Rangers boss explained, pointing to the combination of a congested pre-season schedule, extended time away on international duty, and the physical demands of a lengthy World Cup campaign as the reasons behind his exclusion. “And I think after as many games played, World Cup exploits, we never planed for Nico to be back for Dundee United, but there will be good options in there, and it’s an area of the team we’re quite strong,” he added, reinforcing the point that Rangers had never seriously entertained the idea of the midfielder being fit and ready for the season opener in the first place, regardless of any transfer speculation swirling around him.
That timeline issue is worth putting into proper context. Raskin was involved in every one of Belgium’s matches at this summer’s World Cup as they progressed to the quarter-final stage, a run that inevitably extended his summer commitments well beyond those of teammates whose countries exited the tournament earlier. Combined with FIFA and FIFPRO’s mandated rest period rules designed to protect players who feature at major international tournaments, that left an extremely tight turnaround between the end of Belgium’s involvement and Rangers’ Scottish Premiership opener on 31 July. It is a scenario that has also affected other members of the Rangers squad who featured prominently for their countries this summer, though Raskin’s situation carries the added complication of genuine transfer uncertainty layered on top of the straightforward fitness and rest considerations.
From a broader squad-building perspective, McInnes’ comments give a useful insight into how Rangers have approached this transfer window as a whole. The club has already been extremely active since the new head coach arrived at Ibrox, with the additions of players such as Ivor Pandur, Ben Godfrey, Cammy Devlin, Lawrence Shankland and, more recently, Serbian international Vanja Dragojevic from Partizan Belgrade all bolstering the squad ahead of the new campaign. That flurry of incoming business appears to have been conducted with at least one eye on the possibility of losing Raskin, giving McInnes the confidence to speak so openly about the situation without appearing overly concerned about the knock-on effect a departure might have on his side’s competitiveness this season. Whether that confidence proves justified once the season gets fully under way remains to be seen, but it is clear that Rangers have not been caught napping by the sudden upturn in interest surrounding one of their most important players.
For Raskin himself, the coming weeks promise to be a pivotal moment in a career that has been on a steady upward trajectory since his move to Ibrox from Standard Liège. Two years remain on his current Rangers contract, giving the club a reasonably strong negotiating position should any of the interested parties come forward with a concrete offer, but it is difficult to see a scenario in which a club of Rangers’ standing in Scottish football would stand in the way of a life-changing move to a major European league if the right proposal materialises. Both Roma and Villarreal represent significant steps up in terms of profile and continental competition, and for a player who has already shown he can perform on the world stage this summer, the temptation to test himself at that level will understandably be considerable.
There is also a wider financial dimension to consider here for Rangers. A sizeable sale of a player like Raskin, particularly with two suitors of Roma and Villarreal’s stature reportedly competing for his signature, would represent a significant boost to the club’s transfer budget at a time when Ibrox has already been investing heavily in fresh faces across the squad. Given how active Rangers have been in the market already this summer, funds generated from a Raskin departure could well be reinvested to further strengthen other areas of the squad before the window shuts, giving McInnes additional scope to shape the team further in his own image as his first full season in charge gets under way.
None of this is likely to be resolved in the immediate future, of course, and Rangers fans should expect the speculation surrounding Raskin’s future to continue running throughout the remainder of the transfer window. What does seem clear, though, is that both club and player appear to be moving towards an eventual parting of ways, with McInnes’ own comments doing little to dampen the growing sense of inevitability building around the situation. For now, attention turns to Friday night’s trip to Tannadice, where Rangers begin life under their new head coach without their influential Belgian midfielder in the squad, regardless of how his ongoing transfer saga with Roma and Villarreal ultimately concludes in the weeks ahead.
