Rangers Transfer Reset: McInnes Aims for Four New Signings

Rangers are braced for a frantic final month of the transfer window, with Derek McInnes pushing for up to four more signings – but only once a wave of departures has cleared space in a squad still very much under construction.

The Ibrox manager has already welcomed defender Olwethu Makhanya from Philadelphia Union, a first step in reshaping a back line that could look very different by the time the window shuts. The next steps will depend heavily on who leaves.

Wingers top the shopping list

McInnes has made no secret internally of his priority: width, pace and goals from the flanks. Rangers want two new wingers in before the deadline, a clear response to the loss of attacking options and the manager’s desire to stretch teams higher up the pitch.

Oliver Antman’s move to Anderlecht has already trimmed the forward line, while Nedim Bajrami is understood to be closing in on a switch to the Saudi Pro League. Those exits strip away versatility in the final third and midfield, and they sharpen the need for fresh firepower out wide.

Rangers are “desperate” for greater threat on the flanks, according to figures close to the club, and the recruitment drive is now built around that demand. The plan is simple: two wingers in, with the expectation they compete to start immediately.

Defence under review as Souttar nears exit

The rebuild does not stop there. Defensive cover sits just as high on McInnes’ agenda.

Rangers want two more defenders, with the situation around John Souttar pushing that need towards urgency. Souttar is widely expected to leave, and his departure would open a sizeable gap in central defence that Makhanya alone cannot fill.

The club hierarchy accept that if they are to navigate a long domestic campaign and the demands of European football, they cannot go light at the back. Depth and competition are non-negotiable, and McInnes wants those reinforcements through the door sooner rather than later.

Midfield business hinges on exits

In the middle of the park, the picture is more complicated.

Another central midfielder is not currently at the top of Rangers’ list. Any move there hinges on whether they can move players out first. Connor Barron and Mo Diomande are among those whose futures could influence activity, but one name towers above the rest: Nico Raskin.

Interest in Jens Herto Dahl of Tromso has cooled for now, with Rangers effectively putting that pursuit on ice until they know who, if anyone, will depart from the current midfield group.

The reason is financial as much as tactical. Raskin represents the biggest potential windfall of the window.

Raskin the key to a major cash injection

The Belgian midfielder is valued at more than £20 million and continues to draw serious attention from Villarreal and other European clubs. A sale at that level would transform what Rangers can do in the final stretch of the window.

Letting Raskin go would be painful from a footballing perspective. He is an important figure and a fan favourite. But a fee north of £20 million would hand McInnes the kind of budget that can accelerate a rebuild in multiple positions at once.

Inside Ibrox, there is an acceptance that one major sale might be the trade-off required to construct a deeper, more balanced squad. If Raskin is that player, his exit would likely underpin the late push for those extra defenders and wingers.

Clock ticking before Dundee United opener

All of this plays out against a tight calendar.

Rangers open their new Premiership campaign on Friday night away to Dundee United at Tannadice. McInnes has been clear: he wants as many of his new faces in the building and integrated as quickly as possible, with a demanding domestic schedule and European commitments looming.

The summer has already brought change, but the manager sees this as only the midpoint of the job. With just over a month left before the deadline, the focus inside the club is sharp – strengthen out wide, reinforce at the back, and only touch the midfield if sales dictate it.

Supporters will look for signs that the incoming players can make an immediate impact, not merely fill shirts. This is a squad in transition, and McInnes knows he must turn that transition into a team capable of competing on all fronts.

The decisions taken in the next few weeks – who leaves, who arrives, whether a prized asset like Raskin is cashed in – will go a long way to deciding how far this Rangers side can go this season, under the continued backing of the 49ers and the weight of expectation that never really eases at Ibrox.