Rangers to ramp up bid to sign the SPFL’s “best player”

Glasgow Rangers head coach Derek McInnes must be buzzing that he can work with Lawrence Shankland again, just a couple of weeks after losing him.

The Light Blues swooped to sign the Scotland international from Hearts when McInnes was in charge at Tynecastle, before they swooped to bring the Scottish boss in to replace Danny Rohl.

Now, the pair will get to work with each other once again in the Scottish Premiership, after the centre-forward scored 16 goals for the manager in the league last season.

Shankland may not be the only player who reunites with the boss at Ibrox, though, as the club are also reportedly keen on a deal to sign Claudio Braga from Hearts.

The Light Blues are looking at a move for the Portuguese attacker and a fee of £5m has been reported as a possible asking price, but it remains to be seen whether or not a move is viable this summer.

Rangers to ramp up bid to sign Premiership star

Braga is an obvious target for the Ibrox giants after he won the division’s Player of the Season award, thanks to a return of 14 goals and three assists in 38 appearances to lead his side to second place.

However, the Scottish giants are now looking at another Premiership star who could arrive at the club as McInnes’ new version of the Portuguese attacker.

According to Football Insider, Glasgow Rangers and Celtic are both interested in a deal to sign Motherwell attacking midfielder Elijah Just in the summer transfer window.

The report claims that there is a ‘feeling’ that both teams will ramp up their respective bids to snap up the New Zealand international after his brace at the World Cup against Iran earlier this month.

Both teams are ready to compete with each other for his signature and Celtic are said to have a strong interest in the forward, which may mean that the Gers will have to move quickly if they want to secure his signature.

Football Insider reported earlier in the month that a fee of £3m could be enough to tempt Motherwell into cashing in on the versatile attacker ahead of the 2026/27 campaign.

How Elijah Just can be Derek McInnes’ next Claudio Braga

Braga was a revelation for the Jam Tarts after they signed him from the second division in Norway, and Just was a similar sort of revelation for Motherwell after joining from Horsens in the second division in Denmark.

Both players signed for their respective clubs from second division teams in Scandinavia in the summer of 2025, and they both went on to shine in the Premiership in the 2025/26 campaign.

Whilst Just did not win the Premiership Player of the Season award for his efforts in the Scottish top-flight, the 26-year-old still showed that he can provide goals and assists on a regular basis at that level.

Just, hailed as the “best player in the league” by national team boss Darren Bazeley, scored goals more efficiently, compared to his xG, than Braga and created more than twice as many goals for his teammates.

Braga, despite playing in a team that almost won the title, only produced three more direct goal contributions than the New Zealand international, which suggests that there is not a great deal of difference between them as attacking forces.

None of Rangers’ wingers recorded more than ten goal contributions in the Premiership in the 2025/26 campaign, suggesting that Just would also arrive as an upgrade on what McInnes currently has at his disposal.

The New Zealand international also showed that he can handle pressure in big games with two goals against Iran in his country’s first group stage game at the World Cup, brilliantly scoring with his weak foot twice.

Just may, therefore, have the mentality required to deal with the pressure that is placed on Rangers players by Ibrox supporters, which is something that has to be taken into account when identifying targets to come in.

The Gers now have to ensure that they can beat their rivals, Celtic, to his signature because he has the potential to be a brilliant addition to the squad and McInnes’ new version of Braga as a game-changer in the final third.