A Standard Liege supremo has admitted the Belgian side had no choice but to sell Nicolas Raskin to Rangers.
Michael Beale got his man last month when the 21-year-old penned a long-term deal at Ibrox as he joined former Norwich City midfielder Todd Cantwell in a batch of two new recruits. Raskin had been a transfer target during Gio van Bronckhorst's tenure at Rangers but a swoop in the summer never materialised under the Dutchman's watch.
Beale admitted his interest was still alive after reports in his homeland suggested Raskin's relationship with the Liege hierarchy had broken down with former Celtic boss Ronny Deila even banishing the youngster training. The centre of the storm seemed to come over pay disputes in a potential new deal with the Belgians.
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The midfielder, however, got his exit in the end and now has found a new home in Glasgow, featuring from the off against Partick Thistle in the Scottish Cup. But Liege sporting director Fergal Harkin, speaking to Voetbal News, admits the club's hand was forced in to letting the prize asset leave due to being unable to agree fresh terms.
He said: “For Raskin and (Morocco international Selim) Amallah, we found a solution to a serious problem. We couldn’t reach an agreement to keep them for the long term. So it was necessary to find a way out in January.
"We should never again be in a situation where two of our most important players have an expiring contract."
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