European giants confirm summer transfer interest in Rangers star as manager 'wanted' to strengthen key area
Newcastle United star was also on their radar
Rangers midfielder was a ‘wanted’ man by Turkish side Besiktas in the summer, according to their manager Vicenzo Italiano.
The attracted summer transfer interest from around the globe after a successful 2026 World Cup campaign with Belgium. Besiktas showed the most intent, offering a loan-to-buy deal which was initially accepted by Rangers - but the Ibrox side quickly pulled the plug. Their interest to Raskin led to him being omitted from squads by Derek McInnes, however now that he’s stayed, he’s continued his role as a midfield regular.
The player recently claimed he was ‘mentally ready to leave’ Glasgow but hasn’t taken issue with the way things panned out. McInnes has always been a strong admirer of Raskin and was happy with how he conducted himself during the summer.
Besiktas boss confirms Raskin interest
In an interview with Turkish media outlet Milliyet, manager Italiano confirmed they were close to signing ‘a player playing for Rangers’, while Newcastle United midfielder Joe Willock was their prime target. The Besiktas boss said: “There were players we couldn’t sign in the summer. Our manager wanted Willock. From day one, it was Willock, Willock. Nobody knows this, but I brought Willock’s whole family to Istanbul.
“They picked out a house, and they had video calls with Italiano and Onder [Ozen, the football director] at least ten times. Furthermore, we went to see the player in person twice. His contract ends at the end of the season. He can sign a pre-contract in the winter. They had asked for £20 million. We can sign him in January – in fact, I will sign him. The only player the manager wanted that we missed out on was Joe Willock. We genuinely need someone there. We also wanted to sign the player playing for Rangers.”
The Turkish side currently sit third in the Super Lig table after six games. Former Ibrox winger Vaclav Cerny was linked with a move the other way during the transfer window. His 18 goals and nine assists made him a fan favourite in Govan - but a Rangers return didn’t come to fruition in the end.
Why was Raskin ‘mentally ready to leave’ Rangers?
Last week, while on media duties during the international break, the Belgian said: “It is a bit of a disappointment (not getting a move), because I was mentally ready to leave. But that is football and it is not a big deal. There are many parameters and off-field matters you have to take into account during a transfer.
“Ultimately, I am not in a position where I necessarily have to leave. Rangers is a good club, I am playing my matches, we have a great squad this year and are doing great things. If you ask me if I wanted to take a step forward and keep moving forward, I say yes.”
“On the morning of September 2nd, they called me to say that there was an offer (believed to be from Besiktas) and even almost an agreement. But I had a match that evening. On the bus to the stadium, I still didn’t know if I would stay at Rangers. An hour later, I was on the pitch. There wasn’t much time to think.”
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