Philippe Clement, shortly after signing Mohammed Diomande in the January transfer window, admitted that Ibrox was unlikely to be the final stop on the midfielder’s journey.
“For sure (he can improve further). Not only the next weeks, the next months and years,” Clement said of the Ivory Coast international brought in on an initial loan deal from Nordsjaelland. “He’s a high potential player and I don’t think Rangers will be his last step.
“Of course, you need some luck with injuries in your career. But, if he steers clear of that, he’s going to make bigger steps.”
Should Albion Rrahmani join Diomande on the blue side of Glasgow, could he too kick-start a journey which takes him to the very top of the European game?
Read more: Rangers Summer 2024 Transfers, Signings & Exits
Rangers have held Alboon Rrahmani talks
The £7 million-rated Rapid Bucharest striker is certainly not short of ambition, let alone talent.
Rangers reportedly opened talks a fortnight ago. Director Nils Koppen met with Rrahmani’s agent in Mexico, say Digi Sport.
A summer departure from the Romanian outfit appears more likely than not too. Rapid co-owner Vincent Angelescu, when putting a number on things, suggested that his 19-goal top scorer was ’80 per cent’ likely to have a new club when next season kicks off.
But which club?
Alexandru Albu, who played alongside Rrahmani at Rapid, stopped short of predicting exactly where the Kosovo international would end up. But he does feel that, like with Diomande, Rrahmani’s potential could take him beyond the levels of the Scottish Premiership in the coming years.
“I am sure that if he leaves, he will go to a big team because he is a valuable player and it is difficult for valuable players to stay in our championship,” Albu tells Orange Sport.
“Here, it matters a lot what the player decides, not just the club, because the player is also eager for affirmation and is eager to show that he is a top footballer. (Rrahmani) wants to reach as high as possible.
“This is what he told me, that he wants to reach a top team. Meaning top ten (in Europe).”
Rangers also chasing Hamza Igamane
Rangers, then, would potentially be a sensible step in the right direction. Winning the Golden Boot in Kosovo with Ballkani and then proving equally prolific in Romania, a spell on UK soil with a Rangers side playing European football would open up Rrahmani’s talents to a much wider audience.
And Albu has no doubt that the sky is the limit for the 23-year-old poacher.
“He has very high quality and I think he can do this (reach the top of the European game),” adds Albu, who left Rapid Bucharest at the end of last term. “But do it step by step.”
According to Romanian publication Sport Bull, Rangers value Rrahmani at £5 million. Rapid, however, want closer to £7 million, though the eventual fee required may fall somewhere in the middle.
It remains to be seen, however, what Rangers’ pursuit of Hamza Igamane means for that Rrahmani chase. If the RAF Rabat forward arrives – for less than £2 million, say the Daily Record – will there be space at Ibrox for another number nine?
Kemar Roofe has already departed, but Clement has both Cyriel Dessers and Danilo at his disposal. Will another have to make way for two newcomers to arrive?
