'Any team in Europe' - Manager issues Rangers star to Real Madrid & Man City transfer verdict

Ianis Hagi could leave Rangers to move to Turkey once he has played himself back to full strength, says a former Romanian manager.

Speaking to Golazo in Romania on 24 October Dumitru Dumitriu insisted that the attacking midfielder was more than good enough to play for big clubs around Europe, outside of the absolute elite sides such as Real Madrid and Manchester City.

And despite the pressure of following in his father’s footsteps in Turkey, where Romanian legend Gheorghe starred for Galatasaray between 1996 and 2001, Hagi junior was backed to succeed there.

The 25-year-old has only played 15 times for Rangers since a serious knee injury in January 2022, spending last season on loan at Alaves and then being frozen out in the B Team until this month over a bizarre contract dispute, and Dumitriu believes he needs a permanent exit.

The 78-year-old said when asked if Turkey would be an option: “Yes, sure. Ianis no longer has to prove anything. He must be in full strength and be trusted. When that happens, then he can play for any team in Europe. 

“Not at the world’s top ones, Manchester City, Real Madrid, but at those in, let’s say, the second category, they play without problems.

“Sure, the expectations will be higher in Turkey, because people will compare him to his father, but he will manage.”

Ianis Hagi backed for Rangers transfer exit to Turkey

How good Hagi actually is these days differs wildly depending on who is asked, and since he has played so little in Scotland it is hard to tell still.

A reasonable loan with Alaves and some solid performances with Romania at Euro 2024 certainly suggested there was enough there to make exiling him from a first-team squad that looked severely undercooked at the start of the season a baffling choice.

An assist for Vaclav Cerny in the 2-0 win over St. Johnstone on 6 October hinted that he could be an asset under Philippe Clement now the circus of the early weeks of this season has been resolved, although his subsequent red card has forced any next steps to be delayed.

In Romania his profile is understandably inflated due to his father’s status, and it is frankly quite easy to see why so many there feel he needs to leave Ibrox in the wake of how he has been treated in recent months.

And yet the man himself has seemingly had his heart set on playing for Rangers above all, rejecting offers to leave in the summer [Sky Sports, 26 August] and sacrificing a wage increase he would have been due in order to return to the fold [Daily Record, 1 October].

An exit at the end of the season has already been predicted [PLZ Soccer, 7 October] but if he can re-establish himself as a factor in Glasgow between now and then all bets are off.

The 4-0 thrashing of FCSB on 24 October, which Hagi missed due to not being registered for the Europa League, was much improved, but Rangers have hardly been an attacking juggernaut this season so there absolutely looks like an opportunity for him to have an impact.

If he does then Turkish interest seems virtually guaranteed, since Borna Barisic and John Lundstram headed to Trabzonspor in the summer, while James Tavernier was chased by multiple sides [HITC, 12 September], and Ridvan Yilmaz has endlessly been linked with a return, to name just a few.

In other Rangers news, a manager tipped to replace Clement has raved about a Light Blues ace’s best game for the club.

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