The Rangers contract conundrum facing Ibrox star as pay cut fears could seal transfer exit after hint dropped
The Ibrox playmaker could stay in Govan on a reduced deal next season if a solution can be found
Ianis Hagi might have to accept a wage cut to remain at Rangers beyond the summer, manager Philippe Clement has hinted.
The 26-year-old playmaker, who missed the start of the campaign due to a complicated contract stand-off that was eventually resolved in October, finds himself out of contract at the end of the season.
Hagi - capped 45 times for Romania - was initially frozen out of Clement’s first-team squad due to a wage-rise clause in his deal that would’ve been automatically triggered if he played another game. But since the club and the player’s representatives were able to reach a compromise, he has developed into an integral member of Clement’s team after returning to the fold in recent months.
The former Genk star’s form on the left wing has left Clement eager to keep hold of the former Light Blues outcast long-term, but the Belgian boss admits Hagi might need to accept a reduced deal to stay at Ibrox as both parties aim to find a solution.
Discussing the possibility of a contract extension, Clement said: “He will be at the end of his contract at the end of the season, so there will be negotiations around that, if it’s possible or not. I don’t have a clue what numbers Ianis has in mind or the club. So that’s (for) discussions between them.
“Of course, I’m happy with what he’s been performing. I knew him already from before, there was the situation before the season that was out of my hands.”
Before starring at Euro 2024 in Germany last summer, Hagi endured a disappointing loan spell with La Liga outfit Deportivo Alaves. He was previously a vital component of Steven Gerrard’s title-winning squad back in 2021 before suffering a 12-month long injury absence the following year.
More recently, he scored the opening goal in a 3-0 Old Firm derby win over Celtic at the turn of the year and has contributed four league assists since November.
On the resolution found over the summer, Clement added: “I’m happy that with discussions in the club, that everybody was willing, from his side and from the club’s side to put water in the wine, to come together and find a solution for that, it’s been beneficial for the team clearly.