Rangers have made a number of high-profile signings over the years with Brian Laudrup, Paul Gascoigne and Ronald de Boer among the biggest names in the game to have graced the Ibrox pitch.
While the Scottish Premiership will not feature among the top leagues in the world, the Light Blues and Glasgow rivals Celtic remain a huge draw for players across the globe.
Given their status in British football, Rangers have attracted their fair share of renowned superstars from the continent, but not every deal has been concluded.
Ahead of the summer transfer window, which will inevitably mean rumours continue to circulate online and a list of players will be linked with the club, GlasgowWorld looks back through the archives to profile 15 players who were on the verge of joining Rangers but failed to put pen to paper.
For one reason or another, we take a closer look at why the following transfers didn’t quite materialise:
1. Emmanuel Petit
Rangers were heavily involved in a transfer tussle with Inter Milan and Tottenham for the French 1998 World Cup winner a year earlier. Talks reached at advanced stage but the Monaco star’s strong links with former manager Arsene Wenger saw him sign for Arsenal.
2. John Hartson
Rangers wanted to bring the Welshman to Ibrox in the summer of 2000 and had shook on a £7milion fee with AFC Wimbledon. Hartson was flown to Glasgow on David Murray’s private jet but a problem with his knee upon medical inspection ensured a deal was taken off the table. Would go on to sign for rivals Celtic a year later.
3. Ronaldo
A Brazilian superstar almost ended up plying his trade in Scotland instead of Italy back in 1997, admitting he received an offer of a two-year contract with a 12-month get out clause from Rangers "and we looked at it and decided that the best offer at that time was from Inter Milan." A multi-million bid had also been tabled by Barcelona, but David Murray and Nike were reportedly working together to try to lure him to Govan.
4. Julien Faubert
The French winger was on the brink of sealing a deal to move to Ibrox in 2007 from Bordeaux before Premier Legaue side West Ham tabled a better offer and increased wages which saw him head to East London. Had a brief loan spell at Real Madrid. Retired in 2020.