The name raised expectations, but Ianis Hagi, son of legend Gheorge Hagi, has so far lived up to them since joining Rangers in the January transfer window.
The 21-year-old, who is on loan from Genk until the end of the season, has scored a number of important goals for Steven Gerrard’s side, including in the Europa League last 32 win over Braga.
Hagi’s agent has, however, recently revealed that his client is attracting attention from Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur, leading some Rangers fans to worry that the Romanian might not stay at Ibrox beyond this season.
So who could Rangers target in the event that Hagi leaves?
Lovro Majer
Club: Dinamo Zagreb
Age: 22
Nationality: Croatia
Rangers looked to Croatia to sign Borna Barisic and Eros Grezda and could do some shopping in the country again by adding Lovro Majer to their squad.
The Ibrox club have already been linked with the 22-year-old and so there’s some reason to believe they might pick up their interest again should Hagi return to Genk after the completion of his loan spell.
Much like Hagi, Majer is a true attacking midfielder. He is at his best in behind the central striker, but is capable of playing on either side and has a natural tendency for drifting out there.
The 22-year-old is on a long term contract at Dinamo Zagreb, meaning Rangers might have to spend big to lure him to Govan.
Matt O’Riley
Club: Fulham
Age: 19
Nationality: England
Along with Harvey Elliott, Matt O’Riley was recently seen as Fulham’s great homegrown hope for the future.
He was expected to play a more prominent role for the Cottagers this season having opted to stay at the club despite interest from the likes of Borussia Dortmund, Juventus and RB Leipzig.
O’Riley’s development has since stalled, only making one English Championship appearance so far this season. What’s more, the 19-year-old’s contract is up this summer.
Rangers could offer the young midfielder the chance to play for a title-challenging team in European competition. It could be the perfect place for O’Riley to underline his potential.
Jed Wallace
Club: Millwall
Age: 26
Nationality: England
With 10 goals and nine assists, Jed Wallace has been one of the English Championship’s most productive midfielders this season.
The 26-year-old has been a key figure in the remarkable turnaround enjoyed by Millwall under Gary Rowett and should be on Rangers’ radar should they be in the market for a player of his mould this summer.
Just like Hagi, Wallace is a dead ball specialist with four assists from corner kicks this season. He also scored one of the goals of the season in the Championship with a stunning freekick in a game away to Cardiff City. Wallace is more of a true winger than Hagi, but has all the qualities to make up for any loss of creativity.
David Turnbull
Club: Motherwell
Age: 20
Nationality: Scotland
David Turnbull was only a medical away from joining Celtic in a £3million deal from Motherwell last summer. Of course, the transfer collapsed after the discovery of a knee problem with the young midfielder undergoing surgery which has ruled him out of the majority of the 2019/20 season.
The 20-year-old is a different sort of player to Hagi, but he is a driving force through midfield and would improve Rangers’ options should they move for the former Celtic target.
There would, however, be an element of risk to the signing of Turnbull given that he is still to prove surgery has had no detrimental effect on him.
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