Partizan captain Vanja Dragojevic is set to arrive in Glasgow on Friday to wrap up his move to Rangers — and at this point, the deal is formality rather than negotiation. The 20-year-old Serbian midfielder will cost somewhere in the £4m–£4.7m range depending on which outlet you trust, with add-ons potentially nudging it higher. Either way, Rangers are getting their man.
The Dragojevic chase effectively ended the Jens Hjerto-Dahl pursuit. Rangers had been linked with the Tromso midfielder, and there were reports of Ibrox officials flying to Norway for talks — something Rangers Review flatly denied, insisting the hierarchy remained at the club's pre-season base in Spain. Tromso want £8.5m for Hjerto-Dahl. Nobody's met that figure. Cardiff City are still trying, but Rangers have moved on.
Shankland and the contract clause that made the move happen
Lawrence Shankland's arrival at Ibrox is also now explained in his own words. The Scotland striker confirmed there was a release clause in his Hearts contract — one that triggered once a qualifying offer came in — and he simply decided he wanted to take it. No messy tug-of-war, no drawn-out saga. The clause existed, Rangers activated it, Shankland said yes.
That kind of directness is refreshing. It also tells you something about how Rangers structured the deal — they knew exactly what it would take to get him out of Tynecastle.
Celtic losing Nawrocki is quietly significant
Meanwhile, Celtic are about to lose Maik Nawrocki. The 25-year-old centre-half is already in France for a medical at Lens, according to Polish outlet Meczyki. He's only been at Celtic a relatively short time, but this departure thins a defensive unit that was already carrying questions heading into the new season. Celtic's backline odds deserve a second look from anyone watching their title defence.
There's also the Callum McGregor situation bubbling underneath — a Middle Eastern outlet claims former Celtic boss Ange Postecoglou has reached a preliminary agreement with Al-Nassr for a foreign midfielder, which has inevitably stoked speculation about the 33-year-old Celtic captain's future. Nothing concrete yet, but the timing is uncomfortable.
Elsewhere in the Scottish game:
- Motherwell have rejected around £1m for Elliot Watt, but Samsunspor's technical director says personal terms are agreed and a deal is close.
- Tottenham turned down a loan request from Ipswich for 18-year-old winger Mikey Moore, who spent last season at Rangers.
- Nice are exploring a move for former Rangers youth striker Robbie Ure, currently at Sirius, with a £5.2m exit fee in play.
- Greg Docherty, 29, is attracting interest from Blackburn, Bolton, Leicester and MLS clubs while waiting on a contract offer from Charlton.
- Greg Taylor says he'd be open to returning to Celtic — one year after leaving for PAOK. Filed under: probably not happening, but noted.
The Rangers midfield rebuild is taking shape. Dragojevic is young, he's been trusted enough to captain Partizan, and £4.6m for a player of that profile is the kind of fee that looks smart in two years or looks panicked in six months. Pre-season will tell us which.
