Rangers have completed a £4million deal to sign Ryan Naderi after fast-tracking their move for the German striker.
The Ibrox club had already reached an agreement with Hansa Rostock that would have seen Naderi make the move to Glasgow in the summer for a fee of around £3m. But, keen to add as much attacking firepower as possible for the title run-in, Rangers accelerated that arrangement with the German third-tier side and bumped up their offer.
The 22-year-old arrived at Rangers’ training ground late on Monday night and the club moved swiftly to get the deal over the line ahead of the 11pm transfer deadline.
It is expected that Rangers will pay an initial fee of around £4m, which could potentially rise to over £5m with add-ons. It is understood that Hansa Rostock also demanded the inclusion of a 20-per-cent sell-on fee, with Naderi becoming the most expensive player ever to be transferred out of the German third tier.
Rangers have paid £4m to sign German striker Ryan Naderi from Hansa Rostock
Speaking about the need for attacking reinforcements after Sunday’s 0-0 draw at Hibs, Rangers boss Danny Rohl said: ‘In general, I think I have a clear picture in my mind.
‘I saw a group that was growing and growing together. And what I will not do after this draw is to make everything very dark. I think this is also part of this race. It’s an exciting one. We are still in the race.’
Naderi’s arrival could pave the way for Danilo to depart Rangers. He has been in the Netherlands over recent days and has interest from several clubs in the Eredivisie.
Rangers also announced last night that Joe Rothwell has left the club after joining Sheffield United for an undisclosed fee.
Rothwell was one of the initial poster boys for the Russell Martin era at Ibrox back in the summer but was quickly deemed surplus to requirements when Rohl took charge in October.
Midfielder Joe Rothwell has left Rangers to sign for Sheffield United in the Championship
Rangers had already spent good money in the January window, with a combined outlay of £7m being spent on the deals to bring Tochi Chukwuani and Tuur Rommens to the club.
Andreas Skov Olsen was also signed on loan from Wolfsburg, with Rangers having an option to buy the Danish international winger for a fee of £9m in the summer.
Another player who has left the club is Clinton Nsiala after he joined Belgian side Westerlo on a loan deal until the end of the season with an option to buy.
Meanwhile, Chukwuani hopes his title-winning experience in Austria can help Rangers to emerge top of the Premiership pile this season.
The 22-year-old defensive midfielder was part of the Sturm Graz squad that won the Bundesliga title before he joined the Ibrox club last month, on an initial three-and-a-half-year deal.
Tochi Chukwuani insists Rangers can improve upon their performance in the 0-0 draw at Hibs
The Dane said: ‘I think it’s always good to have that kind of experience of winning a title. You know what it really takes to win a title and try to bring it also here, in terms of mentality, every day in training and also in games.
‘I’m still settling in, I’m still trying to build those relationships within the group, trying to find the connection with the players, my team-mates. But I still think I have more to do.
‘It was a performance that we knew still left room for improvement. Our play in the last third wasn’t good enough, and we didn’t control the game the way we wanted.
‘But if we look at the positive side, we still kept the clean sheet, and we still go on our unbeaten run in the league.
‘So we try to keep our heads up and try to focus on the next game which is around the corner.’
