Rangers sporting director Ross Wilson has revealed that the financial impact of Covid-19 could affect their transfer plans this summer including the Ianis Hagi deal amidst ‘uncertainty’ in the transfer window.
Ianis, the son of legendary Romanian footballer Gheorghe Hagi, has impressed since arriving on loan from Genk in January and has quickly become a fan favourite at the club with his performances raising discussions at the board level regarding making the switch permanent.
The Ibrox outfit have the option to turn Ianis Hagi’s transfer into a permanent one for a fee of around £4m should they decide. According to reports published last week, discussions were progressing steadily on this and that Steven Gerrard and his staff were all keen to land the 21-year-old midfielder permanently. Gerrard is said to view Ianis Hagi as the ideal player to build his team around which is why he believes Ianis Hagi would be crucial to his plans for the future.
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Having made an immediate impact, scoring vital goals for the club against Hibs in the Premiership and SC Braga in the Europa League second leg, it is clear why Ianis Hagi is rated highly by the club and supporters alike.
Now according to Daily Record, although Ross Wilson has hinted that both he and Steven Gerrard are interested in retaining the services of the Romanian, he has also spoken about the financial impact that the Covid-19 could have on this deal down the line saying:
“Could the virus impact on our decision to take him? Possibly.
But I think the bigger picture for us is the uncertainty of when the transfer window will open – and what the landscape will look like.
Ianis has undoubtedly made a really positive impression on us. We’re in regular contact with him, myself, Steven, Gary McAllister, and Michael Beale.
“We were really happy with him and he’ll be on loan to the end of season 19/20, whenever that comes”
“Rangers have an exclusive option on him but we’ve got a little bit of time before we need to take that.
“We’ve got a great relationship with him, his agent and his dad (Romanian legend Gheorghe).”
On whether Hagi himself is inclined to seeing himself represent the club permanently, Wilson said:
“He has found a place at Rangers where he feels loved. He can feel the size of the club and he loves the intensity, pressure of the crowd.”
Meanwhile, reports have also emerged about Lazio’s interest in the 21-year-old who is said to have attracted the attention of Lazio director Igli Tare, who is in the market for a new playmaker with Ianis Hagi being his first choice ahead of Mario Gotze.
For now, the Light Blues remain in pole position to land the playmaker provided that they do end up making up their minds before the season concludes. With a new five-year kit deal with sportswear brand Castore also adding to their commercial revenue structure which will see them rake in approximately £4m a season, Rangers might just have received the much-needed boost that could see them ride out of this pandemic storm and also allow Ross Wilson and co to take the decisions that they would have otherwise wanted to.
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