Rangers' Lowball Dragojević Bid Lays Bare the Scale of Old Firm's Winter Rebuild

Rangers have had a £3.9m bid rejected for Partizan Belgrade captain Vanja Dragojević, with the Serbian club holding out for £4.7m plus a sell-on clause. On its own, that's a routine negotiating stand-off. In context, it's the clearest evidence yet that both Glasgow giants are entering a critical rebuilding phase at exactly the same moment.

While Rangers try to bridge an £800,000-plus valuation gap for a 20-year-old midfielder, Celtic are simultaneously racing to beat Feyenoord to a goalkeeper, fending off exit talk from two first-team midfielders, and watching Torino set an £8.6m asking price on a player they've been linked with. Neither club is dealing with one transfer in isolation. Both are mid-negotiation on several fronts at once, and how those play out will shape squad depth for the rest of the season.

Rangers' Midfield Rebuild: Dragojević Standoff and the Raskin Exit Looming

Dragojević is being viewed by Rangers as one of several options to add strength and depth in central midfield, according to Rangers Review. The Partizan captain, still only 20, has become a target precisely because Rangers can see a bigger problem coming down the line.

Why the midfield search has urgency

Nicolas Raskin is set for a summer move once the World Cup finishes, with Real Betis exploring a deal and two unnamed Italian clubs also circling the 25-year-old Belgian, according to reporting from journalist Luca Bendoni. If Raskin leaves, Rangers lose a proven Scottish Premiership performer from the middle of the park, and the club appear to be trying to get ahead of that exit rather than scramble for a replacement after the fact.

That explains the lowball nature of the Dragojević bid. Rangers aren't desperate, they're negotiating from a position where they can afford to wait Partizan out, at least for now. The £3.9m offer against a £4.7m demand, plus the sell-on percentage Partizan want, suggests this deal has further to run before any resolution.

Defensive business complicates the picture

Rangers have also shown interest in Sankhoun Diawara, the 20-year-old Troyes centre-half, but Foot Mercato reports Basel have made significant progress on a deal of their own, while Troyes remain hopeful of extending his stay following the club's promotion to Ligue 1. Layered on top of that is interest from Lyon in Rangers striker Youssef Chermiti, meaning Ibrox is simultaneously fielding enquiries to sell as it tries to buy.

• Dragojević: £3.9m bid rejected, Partizan want £4.7m plus sell-on
• Raskin: summer exit expected, Real Betis and two Italian clubs interested
• Diawara: Rangers interested, but Basel reportedly ahead in the race
• Chermiti: Lyon monitoring the Rangers forward

Celtic's Goalkeeper Race: Horkas, Hatate and a Restless Dressing Room

Celtic's priority is between the sticks. The club are now considered favourites to sign Las Palmas goalkeeper Dinko Horkas after tabling an offer close to £3.5m for the 27-year-old, according to journalist George Tsarouchas. That pursuit has taken on new urgency because Celtic's alternative option looks to be slipping away.

Feyenoord move to beat Celtic to Ernst

Feyenoord could be set to beat Celtic to goalkeeper Tjark Ernst after meeting the 23-year-old's £4m release clause with Hertha Berlin, per the Daily Record. If that deal closes, Horkas effectively becomes Celtic's only realistic route to the upgrade they're after, which strengthens Las Palmas' hand in any further negotiation.

Two midfielders, two different messages, one shared theme

The goalkeeper hunt isn't Celtic's only concern. Reo Hatate has confirmed he wants to leave this summer in pursuit of a move to one of Europe's top leagues, after missing out on Japan's World Cup squad. Meanwhile Benjamin Nygren has refused to commit his future to Celtic following Sweden's World Cup exit.

Asked directly where he would be playing next season, Nygren's answer was simply: "we'll see."

Both players are reacting, in different ways, to being left out of their countries' World Cup squads or exiting early. It's a pattern worth watching. Celtic also face a valuation hurdle of their own: Torino hold midfielder Gvidas Gineitis in high regard but would need a bid above £8.6m to sanction a sale, while a rival move for winger Jakob Breum has already advanced elsewhere, with Saint Etienne agreeing a four-year contract with the player pending a medical.

Elsewhere in Scotland: Motherwell, St Mirren, Aberdeen and Hearts Business

The market below the Old Firm is just as busy, even if the numbers are smaller. This roundup is compiled from BBC Sport's gossip column, sourced from outlets including Mozzart Sport, Rangers Review and Foot Mercato, so reliability varies by item and none of it should be read as confirmed until clubs announce it.

Motherwell set to cash in on Watt

Samsunspor's new offer for Elliot Watt is worth more than £1.7m plus a signing bonus, understood to be very close to Motherwell's financial requirements. The 26-year-old midfielder has already agreed personal terms, according to George Tsarouchas. Motherwell are also looking at reinforcements of their own, with interest registered in 25-year-old Blau-Weiß Linz centre-half Martin Moormann.

St Mirren build at the back, Aberdeen wave off a winger

St Mirren have held talks with Leon King, freed by Rangers, though manager Craig McLeish has told the centre-half other positions need bolstering first. The Paisley club look set to win the race for 20-year-old Queen's Park defender Henry Fieldson on a free transfer.

• Aberdeen: agreed a fee with Western Sydney Wanderers for the return of winger nicolas-milanovic" class="entity-link entity-link--player">Nicolas Milanovic, sold to the Dons for £400,000 last summer
• Hearts: head coach Wouter Vrancken plans talks with out-of-contract midfielder Cammy Devlin, who has interest from Chicago Fire and Seattle Sounders
• Hearts: also waiting on veteran goalkeeper Craig Gordon's decision on whether to continue playing following his return from Scotland's World Cup campaign

What happens next

The Dragojević situation is the one to track first. Rangers have shown they're willing to negotiate hard rather than meet Partizan's £4.7m valuation outright, but with Raskin's exit looking increasingly likely, the pressure to close a midfield deal will only grow as the window narrows.

At Celtic, the Horkas pursuit could be resolved quickly now that Feyenoord's move for Ernst has removed a rival option from the equation, though Las Palmas may use that leverage to hold out for more than the reported £3.5m offer. Whether Hatate and Nygren stay or go will likely hinge on whether concrete European interest materialises before Celtic's own business is finished.

Further down the table, Motherwell look closest to a concluded deal, with Watt's terms already agreed pending the fee. St Mirren, Aberdeen and Hearts all have smaller pieces of business that could move quickly once conditions elsewhere in each squad are settled.