Rangers' two transfer kingmakers sit in departures lounge as Ibrox chiefs wait for boarding call

Rangers are trying to usher bodies out of the Ibrox departures lounge. Clement has admitted as much - there are a rump of well-paid men who are not in the Belgian's short-term or even long-term plans. The problem that the head coach faces is that there is hardly a large queue forming to get these players on a plane out of Glasgow.

The futures of James Tavernier, Rabbi Matondo and Cyriel Dessers have been widely speculated upon all summer. Trabzonspor failed with a bid for the Rangers captain and it has gone quiet on the Tavernier front now. According to reports, English Championship duo Leeds United and Blackburn Rovers are weighing up a move for Matondo, a Welsh winger who has featured regularly in the Rangers team yet doesn't feel like a long-term Clement solution. Dessers regularly leads the line and has stated he is happy at Rangers, even amid interest from teams such as PAOK and Atlanta United.

The man with the most intrigue heading into the final eight days of the transfer window is Ianis Hagi, the mercurial 25-year-old Romanian playmaker who has not kicked a ball in a Rangers shirt for more than a year. His last action came in a 2-1 League Cup win over Morton, before being farmed out on loan to Alaves. But now back at Ibrox, he is persona non grata, playing for the B team.

Those who watched Hagi play at the Euros this summer would have noted a player with undoubted ability. He can operate across the attacking midfield line, can spot a pass and is technically gifted. His performances for Romania, who made the last 16, ought to have piqued interest from clubs across Europe - and perhaps even Clement himself. After all, the Belgian does not have a veritable playmaker to choose from, with Tom Lawrence hardly setting the heather on fire in the No 10 role. Would Hagi be a better option?

We are unlikely to find out. Currently on 99 appearances for Rangers since his move from Fiorentina in 2020, there are reports his wage jumps up significantly should he hit the 100 mark. Whether those claims hold any credence or not, on paper Hagi is one of Rangers' most sellable assets, a young internationalist entering the peak years of his career.

Rapid Bucharest are the latest team to have their name attributed to Hagi. Even his old club in Florence were linked over the summer. Hagi has a strong PR machine, not least in his father, Romania legend Gheorghe. Surely between them all, they can find him a move, even if his wages are on the high side.

Rangers would welcome the cash - but would perhaps also welcome his talents. Todd Cantwell, another playmaker currently stagnating in the reserves, probably doesn't have the same panache as Hagi but has more creativity than the average midfielder at the club. But he has told Clement that he sees his future elsewhere. As yet, a move has failed to materialise.

Getting Hagi and Cantwell off the books would surely allow Clement to act and bring in players he truly wants at the club. More so than Matondo and Dessers, the duo act as kingmakers for the rest of Rangers' transfer window. A team in need of more fresh blood, one imagines the Ibrox hierarchy are doing all they can for one final push towards the exit door.