Nicolas Raskin’s three-and-a-half-year spell at Rangers appears to be reaching its end, with the midfielder left out of the squad that travelled to Jablonec for the Conference League play-off second leg. At the same time, the club continue to work on bringing in winger Kim, who could become their 12th signing of the summer.
The two situations are unfolding in parallel rather than as one connected transaction — nothing in manager Derek McInnes’ comments ties Raskin’s departure directly to funding or making room for Kim’s arrival. They are, as things stand, separate pieces of business.
Raskin Left Behind Amid Transfer Interest
Raskin, the 25-year-old Belgium international, did not make the trip to the Czech Republic, where Rangers hold a 1-0 lead from the first leg. McInnes was clear that the absence had nothing to do with fitness.
“Nico hasn’t travelled, nothing to do with injury or anything like that, just the potential of a transfer,” said McInnes.
The manager did not confirm details of any specific suitor, though Raskin has been linked with Fenerbahce in recent days. McInnes pointed instead to the stage of the window as the reason the club is having to move on the situation now.
“I just think we’re so late in the window, maybe it’s something the club’s looking at,” he said. “So, he’s trained this morning but he’s been left back in Glasgow.”
A Departure McInnes Saw Coming
According to McInnes, the prospect of Raskin leaving was flagged to him as soon as he took the job, suggesting this is not a sudden development but one the club had anticipated managing at some point.
“When I came into the job, it was quite clear that there was maybe going to be an opportunity for Nico elsewhere,” McInnes said. “There’s been plenty of interest in him. We believe that interest has stepped up over the last couple of days.”
McInnes stopped short of declaring the move done, leaving open the possibility — however slim it now looks — that Raskin remains at Ibrox beyond the window.
“So, something may or may not happen. If Nico stays beyond the window, then it would be great to work with him, but if he doesn’t, we wish him well,” he said.
Kim Deal Progressing Separately
While Raskin’s Rangers career looks to be winding down, the club’s business at the other end of the market continues. Winger Kim is closing in on a move to Ibrox and would become the club’s 12th arrival of the summer if it goes through.
McInnes gave no indication that the Kim deal is being financed by or contingent on Raskin’s exit — the two were discussed by the manager as distinct matters, with Raskin’s situation framed around outgoing interest and the transfer clock, and Kim’s framed simply as one of the incomings the club is still trying to get over the line.
“We’re still working on one or two other things. The sooner we get them in, the better, but the club are working hard to try and deliver the players that we require for the season ahead,” McInnes said.
What It Means Heading Into the Second Leg
For now, Rangers travelled to Jablonec without Raskin but holding a 1-0 advantage from the first leg of their Conference League play-off tie. Whatever happens with his transfer, McInnes and his squad have the more immediate task of seeing out the tie without one of their senior midfielders in the squad.
Off the pitch, the picture is one of a club simultaneously managing an exit it had half-expected and pushing to complete incoming deals before the window shuts — two threads of business that, on the evidence of McInnes’ comments, are running alongside each other rather than in tandem.
