Martin driving Rangers move for £10m star

There are a number of players within the Glasgow Rangers squad at Ibrox who are facing uncertain futures at the club during the summer transfer window.

The likes of Nicolas Raskin, Mohamed Diomande, Hamza Igamane, and Cyriel Dessers have been linked with moves away from the club, as European sides are looking to snap them up.

However, at the time of writing, the Scottish Premiership giants have not accepted any bids from teams for any of their star performers this summer.

One player who does look set to be on his way out of Ibrox, though, is central defender Robin Propper, after FC Twente and Rangers agreed a fee for the defender, who is now negotiating an exit with the club.

There are also players in the squad who have not been linked with moves away, yet they may still be playing for their long-term future under Russell Martin during pre-season.

Oscar Cortes’ 18-month loan deal finally turned into a permanent transfer, for a reported fee of £4m, this summer, but it remains to be seen if he has a future at Ibrox.

Why Oscar Cortes may not have a future at Ibrox

The Colombian forward first arrived in Glasgow on loan from French side Lens in the January transfer window in 2024, and spent 18 months on loan at the club before his permanent transfer became official at the start of July.

However, injury issues have plagued his career in Scotland to date. Cortes has only played 16 times in competitive games for the Light Blues so far, including just 11 appearances in the entire 2024/25 campaign.

This means that Martin cannot rely on the winger to be available on a regular basis for the Gers moving forward, until the 21-year-old gem proves that he can avoid injuries for a prolonged period of time.

For now, there is no guarantee that he can be relied upon as a starter because he has only been available for 16 games in the last 18 months, which is simply not enough.

As concerning is the fact that his performances on the pitch have also left a lot to be desired, as you can see in the table above, as he did not deliver any goal contributions in the Premiership last season.

Cortes was given opportunities when fit and available, as shown by the fact that he started 40% of his appearances despite his injury issues, but did not repay the faith shown in him with quality performances.

This is why the former Lens man, who can play on the left or the right flank, may not have a long-term future at Ibrox unless he can turn his career around by keeping fit and delivering quality displays on the pitch.

A fresh report linking Rangers with interest in another right-sided attacker does not spell good news for Cortes, though, as the club could land an upgrade on him.

Martin pushing Rangers to sign Premier League winger

According to Football Insider, Glasgow Rangers are interested in a potential swoop to bring Jesurun Rak-Sakyi to Ibrox from Crystal Palace this summer.

The report claims that Martin is the driving force behind the club’s eagerness to secure a deal with the Premier League side for the 22-year-old attacker, as he would like to work with the gem next season.

Martin tried and failed to sign him on loan from Palace during his time in charge of both Swansea and Southampton in the English Championship, which shows that Rak-Sakyi has been a long-term target for the former Norwich defender.

Football Insider adds that Rangers would like to bolster their options in the wide areas, particularly after Vaclav Cerny returned to Wolfsburg after his loan spell at the club, and that they are keen to bring the Eagles youngster, who is valued at up to £10m, in on loan for next season.

It now remains to be seen whether Martin will finally get his wish at the third time of asking, or if he will fail in his pursuit of a deal for Rak-Sakyi once again in his managerial career.

Why Rak-Sakyi would be an upgrade on Cortes

The 22-year-old English winger would arrive at Ibrox as a big upgrade on Cortes if the club can strike a deal with the Premier League side to sign him on loan.

Rak-Sakyi’s availability, first and foremost, would make him an upgrade on the Colombian. The former England U21 international played 36 times for Sheffield United in all competitions during the 2024/25 campaign, which means that he played 21 more games than the Rangers flop managed.

This suggests that the Palace attacker is far more likely to be available for Martin to select on a week-to-week basis next season, as he does not have as bad of a recent injury history as the ex-Lens flanker.

Rak-Sakyi, once dubbed “remarkable” by Roy Hodgson, would also join Rangers as an upgrade on Cortes because of the quality that he can provide whilst playing on the right wing, cutting in on his left foot to provide a big threat as both a scorer and a creator of goals for his side.

As you can see in the table above, the £10m-rated star ranked incredibly highly in a host of key attacking metrics in the Championship last season, although he was unfortunate to rank lowly for assists given how many high-quality chances he created.

Rak-Sakyi scored seven goals and provided two assists in 22 starts in the division for Sheffield United, which is nine more goal contributions than the zero Cortes produced for Rangers in his ten outings in the Premiership.

Therefore, Rangers could land a big upgrade on their £4m winger by signing the Palace winger this summer, both because of his potential to be available with greater regularity and because of the quality that he can offer at the top end of the pitch.

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