Another issue facing Glasgow Rangers as one of the teams outside the big leagues in Europe is that there is always a risk that teams will look for their top players.
Europe’s top five leagues offer an enticing exit from Ibrox, with the Gers having seen off the likes of Hamza Igamane, Nathan Patterson, and Joe Aribo.
Youssef Chermiti could add his name to that list after less than 12 months in Glasgow, as Ligue 1 side Lyon look to sign the Portuguese.
The French club have already had a £15m bid rejected for the former Everton man, and it remains to be seen whether they are willing to increase their bid or not.
How Rangers got the best out of Youssef Chermiti
Eyebrows were raised when the Ibrox giants paid £8m to sign the Portugal U21 international from Premier League side Everton last year, as Kevin Thelwell and Russell Martin made a bold move to strengthen the attack.
There have been questions raised about the deal, given the money involved, after he began his Light Blues career with two goals in his first 13 Scottish Premiership games.
After failing to score a single goal for the Toffees at the top level during two years in England, it was not a given that he would turn his Rangers career around and produce regular quality in the final third.
Danny Rohl easily got the best of the Portugal striker, as he gave him a chance to prove himself, after Chermiti scored twice in four starts in the first half of the campaign.
In 2026 so far, the 22-year-old striker has scored 13 goals in 16 starts in the Scottish Premiership, including hat-tricks against Hearts and Falkirk, showing that he has benefited from the regular game time he was not given earlier in his spell at Ibrox.
Regardless of what happens to him in the current summer window, the Scottish giants hit the jackpot with the £8m star by giving him the stage to show his quality as a regular starter.
Rangers could make their best signing since Youssef Chermiti
The fact that Chermiti has been an overall success at Ibrox may give the board confidence that they can spend the cash on expensive additions to the squad, trusting the scouting department that their money will not go to waste.
It may be why the Light Blues are now pursuing a move for a player who could arrive at the club as a more expensive, and even more impressive, signing than the Portuguese star.
RangersNews reporter Pranav Shahaney says Glasgow Rangers will hold talks with Tromso over a deal to sign central midfielder Jens Hjerto-Dahl.
The reporter revealed that the Light Blues could see an offer of £8.5m accepted by the Norwegian side, and that the player is interested in the prospect of moving to Ibrox.
|
Hjerto-Dahl (Eliteserien) |
2025 |
2026 |
|---|---|---|
|
Appearance |
30 |
12 |
|
Goals |
4 |
5 |
|
It helps |
4 |
2 |
|
Pass accuracy |
82% |
85% |
|
Tackle + encounter per game |
2.5 |
1.9 |
|
Successful dribbles per game |
1.3 |
1.3 |
At just £500k more, Rangers could get a better signing than Chermiti because Hjerto-Dahl is a player who can make an impact in all phases of play in the middle of the park.
As impressive as the former Everton man was in 2026 as a goalscorer, having a box-to-box midfielder who can contribute defensively, in transition and offensively, would be invaluable to Derek McInnes’ side.
His stats in the Eliteserien since the start of the 2025 campaign show that he can make an impact at the other end of the pitch as a goalscorer and creator, potentially being the difference in the final third.
At the same time, he also crosses the field to ride and block to return the ball to his side defensively, while he has the mobility and technical quality to drive the opposition players to lift the ball up.
At the age of 20, the Norway U21 international will rejoin as a player with many years left to develop and develop as a player, potentially increasing his value along the way.
Therefore, Hjerto-Dahl could be the club’s best signing since Chermiti, even more than a striker, because of his power at the age of 20 and the quality he can bring to Ibrox as a box-to-box midfielder.
