Why Scottish striker target could be Rangers’ perfect Chermiti replacement

It will be interesting to see whether or not Glasgow Rangers centre-forward Youssef Chermiti is still at the club when the summer transfer window slams shut at the start of September.

Ligue 1 side Lyon came in with an offer of around £15m for the Portugal U21 international earlier this month, but the Light Blues turned it down and made it clear that they will not entertain a sale at that price.

The Scottish Premiership giants are looking for a fee of at least £20m for the attacker, and it remains to be seen if Lyon are willing to go that high to secure his services.

Other teams have also shown an interest in the 22-year-old attacker, as Eredivisie outfit Feyenoord have also been linked with the Rangers star.

How Rangers hit the jackpot with Youssef Chermiti

It is fair to say that the decision to spend a fee of £8m on the signing of Chermiti from Everton last summer was not universally celebrated by fans and pundits.

The Portuguese forward arrived at Ibrox off the back of failing to score a single senior goal in two seasons in England with Everton, having joined the Toffees from Sporting in 2023.

Kevin Thelwell and the recruitment team looked beyond his statistics at face value, though, and saw the potential that he had to develop into a star with regular game time.

He went from failing to score a single goal for Everton to racking up 15 goals in 30 appearances in the Premiership for Rangers, scoring hat-tricks against Hearts and Falkirk in that time.

Now, 12 months on from paying £8m for his services, Chermiti is worth at least £15m, given Lyon’s bid, and is valued at £20m by the club, more than twice what they paid the Toffees for his signature.

Rangers pursuing deal for their next version of Chermiti

The Lyon target is living proof that not every signing should be judged by their statistics at face value, as playing regular football and gainig experience can take a player to the next level.

That should be kept in mind with the latest target for the Scottish giants, as they are looking at a young talent who could follow in Chermiti’s footsteps.

Journalist Ben Jacobs reports that Glasgow Rangers are one of the teams in the race to sign Sheffield United centre-forward Ryan One for Derek McInnes in the summer transfer window.

The reporter claims that the Light Blues and English League One side Leicester City, who are now managed by Russell Martin, are both pursuing a deal to land the exciting Scottish youngster.

However, Jacobs does not reveal how much the Blades would demand for the 20-year-old prospect, who came through the ranks at Hamilton before his move down south.

One spent the second half of the 2025/26 campaign on loan at Lincoln City in League One and caught the eye with a return of five goals in only seven starts in the division.

It was his first taste of playing semi-regular football at first-team level in England and he thrived at the top end of the pitch, outperforming his xG and only missing one ‘big chance’ in front of goal.

As was the case with Chermiti’s goal tally at Everton, supporters may look at One’s return of one goal in 22 games for Sheffield United and lose excitement about this potential deal, but that should not be the case.

The Scotland U21 international scored four goals in 36 matches for Hamilton as an 18-year-old striker, showing promise at a very young age, and his form for Lincoln showed that all he needed was a chance to play games.

One did not get many opportunities as a bit-part player at Sheffield United, which is why he needed a loan move, and that was also the case for Chermiti at Everton, as he only played four Premier League games in the 2024/25 campaign.

The Scottish youngster is an exciting talent, therefore, despite his lack of goals for the Blades, because he could follow in Chermiti’s footsteps and shine at Ibrox with the chance to play more minutes in a dominant team that competes for trophies.