Now, this one might just have legs.
While a close friend of Jose Mourinho is quick to point out that, as things stand, there are no active talks to bring the Rangers man to Turkey, the high regard in which he is held by the new Fenerbahce boss is well documented.
Cast your minds back to 2020.
Shortly after Rangers turned a loan deal into a permanent transfer to the tune of £3 million, Ianis Hagi’s agent opened up on Sky Sports about the interest that had arisen from both Manchester City and Mourinho’s Tottenham Hotspur.
“I have been asked personally by Jose Mourinho and (City director) Txiki Begiristain about Ianis Hagi,” Giovani Becali revealed.
Jose Mourinho is a fan of the £3m Rangers ace
“They wanted to know about him and how he was getting on. There’s a lot of top people in European football who know all about Ianis and what he can do.
“I happen to think Ianis is on a good plan at Rangers. He is a player who has that little extra piece of creativity and skill. I think he is improving all the time at Rangers.”
In truth, the careers of neither Hagi nor Mourinho have progressed in the way that either party would have liked since then. Mourinho failed to end Tottenham’s long trophy drought and flattered to deceive at Roma, with his arrival at Fenerbahce potentially spelling the end of his time in Europe’s elite competitions.
Hagi, meanwhile, appears to be on his way out of Ibrox but not towards a club of Man City’s stature. After a serious knee injury and a difficult loan spell at Alaves in La Liga, Hagi’s reputation is certainly not what it was back in 2020.
But could there still be a future where Mourinho and Hagi are sharing a dressing room? Victor Becali, reportedly a ‘close’ friend of the Portuguese and the brother of Hagi’s agent, thinks a link up in Istanbul may be a possibility.
“At the moment, we do not know anything concrete regarding the transfer of Ianis Hagi to Fenerbahce,” Victor Becali tells Fanatik. “At the moment there is nothing.
“But that does not mean that Ianis Hagi could not come to Fenerbahce. Mourinho has always liked Ianis Hagi. Always saw him as a high quality player.
“There are elections now at Fenerbahce. After things calm down, Mourinho also gets down to business and makes a transfer list.
“We cannot confirm now that Ianis will end up at Fenerbahce. But anything can happen in the near future.”
Ianis Hagi planning Ibrox exit
Becali claims that Mourinho, hired by a Fenerbahce side desperate to knock Galatasaray off their proverbial perch, will have around £80 million to spend on new players this summer. With only two years left on his Rangers contract, Hagi would not eat up too much of that budget.
It’s been a long time since Rangers were batting away offers in the £10 million bracket, after all.
The former KRC Genk starlet has already confirmed that he plans to leave Ibrox between now and September. Spain remainshis preferred destination, although that forgettable stint at Alaves will not have La Liga clubs queueing up for the 25-year-old’s signature.
“I love the level of La Liga. I love everything in Spain; the teams, the competition between players and teams, the pressure that exists here…” Hagi told Marca in the Spring. “I feel that it is the league in which I can be most successful, and in which I can bring out all my qualities.
“And it is the league that I have followed since I was a child. It was always my dream to be here. I’m here now, and I want to be here for a long time.
“Yes, it is where I want to be. It is the football in which I want to grow. It is the football that I believe can unlock the best version of me.”
There is, of course, still the possibility that Philippe Clement will hand Hagi a fresh start. But with Todd Cantwell and Tom Lawrence fighting for the number ten spot and with Sam Lammers returning after a far more successful loan spell away from Ibrox, you would maybe get shorter odds on Hagi playing under Mourinho in 2023/24.
