Rangers racing to sign £9m “set-piece specialist” at Ibrox

Glasgow Rangers manager Russell Martin will be hoping to keep hold of his top talents at Ibrox between now and the end of the summer transfer window.

The likes of Hamza Igamane, Nicolas Raskin, Cyriel Dessers, and Mohamed Diomande have all been linked with moves away from Scotland, but all remain with the Light Blues at the time of writing.

A whole host of English clubs, who are all due to play in the top-flight south of the border, are reportedly interested in signing Raskin from Rangers.

Losing the Belgium international, who delivered four goals and ten assists in the Scottish Premiership last season, would be a big blow to Martin ahead of the 2025/26 campaign.

Rangers eyeing up new midfielder

However, Rangers could soften the blow of potentially selling Raskin in the coming weeks by signing an Italian star they are reportedly keen on bringing to Ibrox.

According to The Boot Room, Martin is interested in a deal to sign Spezia central midfielder Salvatore Esposito for Rangers before the end of the window.

The report claims that there is plenty of competition to land the Italy international’s signature, though, as Everton, Sunderland, Celtic, Brighton, Burnley, Fulham, Brentford, and Fulham are also keen on him.

It adds that Spezia, who failed to earn promotion to the Serie A via the play-offs, are open to a loan with an option to make it permanent next summer.

Rangers must now see off significant competition from their closest rivals and teams in the Premier League in England to sign Esposito, who could be a Raskin repeat at Ibrox.

Why Rangers should sign Salvatore Esposito

The £9m-rated star’s form in the 2024/25 campaign suggests that he would arrive in Glasgow as the dream replacement for the Belgian ace in the middle of the park.

He could provide similar qualities in midfield as a number eight who can make an impact, with both goals and assists, at the top end of the pitch, whilst also being strong in his physical duels out of possession.

Esposito was once described as a “set-piece specialist” by talent scout Jacek Kulig, and it is no wonder when you see the clip of his goal against AC Milan in the clip above.

He is more than just a set-piece whiz, though, because the Italian star ended the regular 2024/25 season with an eye-catching haul of seven goals and nine assists in the second tier in Italy.

As you can see in the table above, Esposito offered similar qualities to the ones that Raskin offered Rangers in the Premiership, with his contributions on and off the ball.

These statistics suggest that the Spezia sensation has the play style and the quality to be a Raskin repeat at Ibrox as a central midfielder who can make a big impact at both ends of the pitch.

This is why Rangers should push hard to win the race for his signature in the coming weeks, because signing Esposito would mean that losing the Belgian star would be less of a concern for Martin.

Of course, there is no guarantee that the 24-year-old ace will be able to translate his form over to the Premiership, but the list of Premier League clubs chasing his services points to how highly thought of his talents are.

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Having already made six summer signings, plenty more are forecast to follow at Rangers, so will they secure a deal to sign a “great leader”?

Of course, in a dream world, Rangers will be hoping to keep hold of Raskin whilst also adding Esposito to the squad to provide competition for places in midfield.