Medical soon: Rangers approach for defender concludes as record-breaking deal agreed elsewhere

Rangers Football Club have officially received confirmation that their interest in Norwegian-based defender Zinedin Smajlovic will not be coming to fruition, with the towering centre-back instead poised to complete what is being described as a record-breaking move to Greek giants Olympiacos. In a rare piece of transfer news that unites both halves of the Old Firm in shared disappointment, it appears that neither Rangers nor fierce rivals Celtic will be securing the services of the highly-rated Sandefjord defender this summer, with a considerably more lucrative offer from Piraeus ultimately proving decisive in the Norwegian club’s decision-making process.

The saga surrounding Smajlovic’s future has been one of the more intriguing subplots of the Scottish transfer window in recent weeks, with reports of interest from both Glasgow giants generating plenty of speculation about which club might ultimately win the race for his signature. As it turns out, however, neither side will get the opportunity to find out whether Smajlovic would have proven a success in Scottish football, with the defender instead set for a considerably more exotic and lucrative destination in Greek football.

The story of Rangers’ interest in Zinedin Smajlovic first began to take shape last month, when reports emerged suggesting the Ibrox club had made a formal enquiry to Sandefjord regarding the availability and valuation of their prized defensive asset. That approach came at a time when Smajlovic was already attracting considerable attention from elsewhere, with fierce Scottish rivals Celtic also understood to be keenly monitoring his situation and reportedly having tabled a concrete bid of their own for his signature.

According to respected Italian transfer journalist Rudy Galetti, Celtic’s proposed offer for the 22-year-old Sweden youth international was structured around an initial fee of £3.8 million, with a further £1.7 million potentially payable through various performance-related add-ons and bonus clauses. That kind of structured bid, combining a substantial upfront payment with additional incentivised payments, represented a serious and considered proposal from the Scottish champions, one that many might reasonably have expected to prove sufficient in securing the defender’s signature given the calibre of interest being shown.

However, despite the seriousness of interest shown by both Rangers and Celtic, it now appears that neither Old Firm club will ultimately be successful in their respective pursuits of the player. Instead, reports suggest that Greek outfit Olympiacos have swooped in to agree what has been described as a substantially superior financial package with Sandefjord, a deal significant enough to convince the Norwegian club to part ways with their prized defensive asset in favour of the Piraeus-based side rather than either of Scotland’s two dominant clubs.

Smajlovic’s rise to prominence within Norwegian football has been built upon a series of eye-catching and consistently impressive performances for Sandefjord throughout the current Eliteserien campaign. The Stockholm-born defender, who has represented Sweden at various youth international levels, has made 10 appearances for his Norwegian club across the course of the 2026 season so far, with those performances evidently doing more than enough to attract serious interest from clubs across multiple European leagues.

Standing out as a genuinely commanding defensive presence, Smajlovic’s performances throughout the season appear to have gradually built into a genuine reputation as one of the more promising young centre-backs currently plying their trade in Scandinavian football. That kind of steadily building reputation, combined with his relatively young age and evident defensive qualities, made him precisely the kind of target that clubs across Europe, Rangers and Celtic very much included, are consistently on the lookout for when it comes to identifying value additions capable of strengthening their respective defensive units.

Given the scale of interest that has subsequently developed around his situation, culminating in this reported record-breaking move to Greek football, it’s clear that Smajlovic’s performances throughout the Norwegian top flight this season have been sufficiently impressive to convince recruitment departments across multiple countries that he represents a genuine talent worthy of significant financial investment.

According to reporting from Swedish news outlet Expressen, the full financial details of the deal that has ultimately taken Smajlovic away from Scandinavian football and towards Greek football have now become clearer. It’s understood that Olympiacos have agreed to pay an initial upfront fee of £4.2 million to secure the defender’s signature, a figure that already comfortably exceeds the reported initial component of Celtic’s earlier proposed offer.

Furthermore, should all of the various performance-related bonuses and add-on clauses attached to the deal ultimately be triggered over time, the overall value of the transfer could eventually rise as high as £5.1 million. When comparing that final potential figure against Celtic’s own previously reported offer of £3.8 million plus £1.7 million in potential add-ons, which itself totals a maximum possible value of £5.5 million, it becomes clear that the two proposals were actually much closer in overall value than might initially have been assumed, even if Olympiacos’s guaranteed upfront payment of £4.2 million represented a considerably more substantial and immediate financial commitment than Celtic’s own structured offer.

It’s understood that the fee being paid by Olympiacos represents an outright club record for Sandefjord, underlining just how significant and lucrative this particular piece of business represents for the modest Norwegian outfit. Securing a club-record sale for a player developed and nurtured within their own system represents an excellent piece of business from a financial perspective for Sandefjord, even as it simultaneously deprives both Rangers and Celtic of a defensive target they had each shown genuine and serious interest in signing.

According to Expressen’s reporting, provided there are no unexpected complications or last-minute setbacks in proceedings, Smajlovic is now expected to travel to Greece in the very near future in order to complete the customary medical examination required before any transfer can be formally finalised and announced.

There is a genuine sense in which this particular transfer saga represents something of a shared disappointment for both Rangers and Celtic, with neither Glasgow institution ultimately proving successful in their respective pursuits of a player who clearly generated considerable transfer interest across multiple countries and leagues throughout the course of this window. Given that both clubs are widely understood to be eager to strengthen their squads significantly this summer, following what has been broadly characterised as a somewhat underwhelming and disappointing 2025-26 campaign for both institutions, missing out on a shared target of this calibre will likely sting for supporters of both persuasions in equal measure.

For Celtic specifically, having already gone as far as tabling what appeared to be a serious and well-structured formal bid for the defender, the disappointment of ultimately missing out to Olympiacos’s superior financial package will likely be felt more acutely than for Rangers, whose interest appears to have remained at a somewhat earlier, more exploratory enquiry stage rather than developing into a concrete and fully formed bid of their own.

Nevertheless, the broader takeaway from this situation remains largely the same for both clubs: neither Rangers nor Celtic possessed the financial firepower, at least in this particular instance, to compete with the kind of package that a club operating within Greek football, and specifically at the level of Olympiacos, was ultimately able and willing to offer. Given the growing financial strength of clubs across the Greek Super League in recent seasons, this perhaps shouldn’t come as too significant a surprise, but it will nonetheless represent a difficult pill to swallow for both Glasgow clubs as they continue their respective efforts to strengthen their squads ahead of the new campaign.

Despite this particular setback regarding Smajlovic, it’s important to recognise that Rangers have already been notably active in strengthening their defensive department throughout the course of this summer’s transfer window, suggesting that missing out on this specific target will not necessarily derail the club’s broader plans to bolster that particular area of the pitch. Since the conclusion of last season, Rangers have already welcomed both Ross McCrorie and Ben Godfrey into the Ibrox ranks, with both additions specifically intended to add greater stability and depth to what had previously been considered a defensive unit in need of reinforcement.

Both of those signings represent sensible and considered additions to Derek McInnes’ backline, and their arrival should go some way towards addressing at least some of the defensive concerns that emerged over the course of last season. However, it’s clear from continued reports linking the club with further defensive targets that McInnes and his recruitment team remain eager to continue strengthening this particular department even further, suggesting a broader recognition that additional quality and depth is still required if Rangers are to mount a genuine challenge across multiple competitions in the season ahead.

Given that Rangers now find themselves needing to look elsewhere following their failed pursuit of Smajlovic, it’s perhaps reassuring for supporters to note that the Ibrox recruitment team already appear to have identified several alternative targets who could realistically fill the void left by this particular setback. Excelsior Rotterdam defender Casper Widell has been strongly linked with a potential move to Ibrox, representing another young centre-back from continental European football who has evidently caught the attention of Rangers’ scouting network.

Similarly, Troyes defender Sankhoun Diaware has also emerged as another player linked with a potential switch to Govan, continuing what appears to be a fairly consistent theme running through Rangers’ defensive recruitment strategy this summer: identifying and pursuing promising, relatively young centre-backs from clubs across various European leagues, rather than restricting their search purely to British or Scottish football.

This broader approach to defensive recruitment, casting a wide net across multiple European leagues in search of value additions with genuine potential for development, suggests a recruitment philosophy that prioritises identifying underlying quality and upside over simply chasing established or proven performers at a significantly higher cost. While missing out on Smajlovic will represent a mild setback in the context of that broader strategy, the presence of alternative targets already being tracked suggests Rangers’ defensive rebuild is unlikely to be derailed by this particular piece of concluded business elsewhere.

With the new Scottish Premiership season edging ever closer, there is a clear sense of urgency now attached to Rangers’ ongoing efforts to further strengthen their defensive options before competitive action gets underway. Derek McInnes will be acutely aware that pre-season preparation time is limited, and that any further defensive additions need to be identified, negotiated, and completed with sufficient time remaining for new signings to properly integrate with their teammates and adapt to the demands of Scottish football before the season begins in earnest.

Given that both Widell and Diaware have already emerged as alternative targets being tracked by the Ibrox recruitment team, it would not be a surprise to see genuine and concerted efforts made to advance discussions regarding either or both of these players in the coming days and weeks, particularly now that the door has definitively closed on any prospect of completing a deal for Smajlovic.

This particular transfer saga also serves as an interesting broader illustration of the growing financial strength being demonstrated by clubs operating within Greek football, with Olympiacos specifically able to outmuscle two clubs of Rangers’ and Celtic’s stature and stature in the race for a shared target. Greek football has increasingly demonstrated an ability to compete financially for talent that might otherwise have been expected to gravitate towards clubs in Scotland or other similarly sized European leagues, and this particular deal for Smajlovic represents a further data point supporting that broader trend.

For both Rangers and Celtic, this development may well necessitate some degree of reassessment regarding which clubs and leagues they consider themselves to be in direct financial competition with when pursuing similar defensive targets going forward. If Greek clubs continue demonstrating this kind of financial muscle when competing for promising young talent from Scandinavian and other similarly sized European leagues, both Glasgow clubs may need to adjust their recruitment strategies and valuations accordingly in order to avoid finding themselves priced out of similar transfer pursuits in the future.

As things stand, attention for Rangers now firmly shifts towards their alternative defensive targets, with both Casper Widell and Sankhoun Diaware representing realistic options that could yet be pursued as the transfer window continues to progress. Given Derek McInnes’s evident determination to continue strengthening his defensive options, even having already secured the additions of Ross McCrorie and Ben Godfrey earlier in the summer, it seems highly likely that further news regarding the club’s defensive recruitment plans will emerge in the coming days and weeks.

For Smajlovic himself, meanwhile, his impending move to Olympiacos represents a significant and exciting step up in level, offering him the opportunity to test himself in a considerably higher-profile league and environment than either Norwegian or Scottish football would have provided. Given the calibre of performances that first attracted this level of interest from clubs across multiple countries, there will be plenty of intrigue surrounding how the young defender adapts to the unique demands and pressures of Greek football, and Olympiacos specifically, once his move is eventually completed.

Ultimately, this particular transfer saga will likely be remembered as a rare moment of shared disappointment between two clubs who otherwise spend most of their time locked in fierce and bitter competition with one another both on and off the pitch. Having both shown genuine interest in Smajlovic, and with Celtic in particular having gone as far as tabling what appeared to be a serious and well-considered formal offer, both Rangers and Celtic will now need to look elsewhere as they continue their respective efforts to strengthen their squads ahead of what promises to be another hugely competitive season of Scottish football.

Whether either club goes on to identify and successfully sign an alternative defensive target capable of matching the level of promise that Smajlovic appeared to offer remains to be seen, but given the clear evidence of continued recruitment activity from both sides of Glasgow’s football divide, it seems highly unlikely that this particular setback will represent the final word on either club’s defensive strengthening plans this summer.

The confirmation that Zinedin Smajlovic will not be joining either Rangers or Celtic this summer, with the promising defender instead set for a lucrative and record-breaking move to Greek giants Olympiacos, represents a fascinating subplot within this summer’s broader Scottish transfer window. While the financial details suggest both Glasgow clubs’ interest was not dramatically wide of the mark in terms of overall valuation, the guaranteed upfront nature of Olympiacos’s offer ultimately proved decisive in convincing Sandefjord to sanction what represents a club-record sale. For Rangers specifically, attention now turns to alternative targets already being tracked, with the club’s broader defensive rebuild under Derek McInnes showing no signs of slowing down despite this particular setback.