One of the issues that Glasgow Rangers face as one of the teams outside of Europe’s major leagues is that there is always the threat of clubs coming in for their best players.
Teams in the top five major European leagues provide a tempting way out of Ibrox, as the Gers have seen down the years with the likes of Hamza Igamane, Nathan Patterson, and Joe Aribo.
Youssef Chermiti could add his name to that list after less than 12 months in Glasgow, as Ligue 1 side Lyon are interested in signing the Portuguese marksman.
The French team have already had an offer of £15m turned down for the former Everton man, and it remains to be seen whether or not they are willing to increase their bid.
How Rangers got the best out of Youssef Chermiti
Eyebrows were raised when the Ibrox giants paid £8m to sign the Portugal U21 international from Premier League side Everton last year, as Kevin Thelwell and Russell Martin made a bold move to bolster the attack.
There were questions asked about the deal, given the finances involved, after he started his Light Blues career with a return of two goals in his first 13 matches in the Scottish Premiership.
After he failed to score a single goal for the Toffees at senior level during his two years in England, it was not a given that he would turn his Rangers career around and produce regular quality in the final third.
Danny Rohl got the best out of the Portuguese forward very simply, though, as he gave him a run of starts to prove himself, after Chermiti scored two goals from four starts in the first half of the campaign.
In 2026 so far, the 22-year-old attacker has scored 13 goals in 16 starts in the Scottish Premiership, including hat-tricks against both Hearts and Falkirk, which shows that he has benefited from regular game time that was not afforded to him at the start of his Ibrox spell.
Irrespective of what happens to him in the current summer window, the Scottish giants hit the jackpot with the £8m star by providing him with a platform to showcase his quality as a starter on a regular basis.
Rangers could seal their best signing since Youssef Chermiti
The fact that Chermiti has been an overall success at Ibrox may provide the board with faith that they can splash the cash on expensive additions to the squad, trusting the scouting department that their money will not go to waste.
That may be why the Light Blues are now pursuing a move for a player who could arrive at the club as an even more expensive, and even more impressive, signing than the Portuguese star.
RangersNews reporter Pranav Shahaney claims that Glasgow Rangers are set to hold talks with Tromso over a deal to sign central midfielder Jens Hjerto-Dahl.
The journalist reveals that the Light Blues could see an offer of £8.5m accepted by the Norwegian side, and that the player is interested in the prospect of making a move to Ibrox.
|
Hjerto-Dahl (Eliteserien) |
2025 |
2026 |
|---|---|---|
|
Appearances |
30 |
12 |
|
Goals |
4 |
5 |
|
Assists |
4 |
2 |
|
Pass accuracy |
82% |
85% |
|
Tackles + interceptions per game |
2.5 |
1.9 |
|
Successful dribbles per game |
1.3 |
1.3 |
For just £500k more, Rangers could land an even better signing than Chermiti because Hjerto-Dahl is a player who can make an impact in all phases of play in the middle of the park.
As impressive as the former Everton man has been in 2026 as a goalscorer, having a box-to-box midfielder who can contribute defensively, in transition, and offensively, would be even more valuable to Derek McInnes’ side.
His statistics in the Eliteserien since the start of the 2025 campaign show that he can make an impact at the top end of the pitch as both a scorer and a creator of goals, potentially being a difference-maker in the final third.
Meanwhile, he also gets across the pitch to make tackles and interceptions to win the ball back for his side defensively, whilst also having the mobility and technical quality to dribble past opposition players to carry the ball up the pitch.
At 20, the Norway U21 international would also join as a player who has plenty of years left ahead of himself to develop further and improve as a player, possibly increasing his value along the way.
Hjerto-Dahl, therefore, could be the club’s best signing since Chermiti, even surpassing the striker, because of both his potential at the age of 20 and the all-round quality that he can bring to Ibrox as a box-to-box midfielder.
