Philippe Clement now wants to keep former outcast Ianis Hagi at Rangers for the long-term.
But the Ibrox gaffer hinted the Romanian playmaker might have to take a wage cut to stay. Hagi was frozen out of Clement’s squad at the start of this season due to a wage rise clause in his contract if he played another game. Rangers and the player’s representatives were able to compromise on the deal, allowing Hagi to be part of the manager’s plans again. And now, the 26-year-old has established himself as a key player for Clement.
Mailsport understands Rangers WON’T take up a year option on Hagi’s contract this summer on his current salary, so he’ll be a free agent in June. Clement would like him to stay in Glasgow but admits it might be impossible depending on the midfielder’s demands. He said: “Ianis will be at the end of his contract this season so there will be negotiations around that to see if it’s possible or not (for him to stay).
“I don’t have a clue what numbers Ianis has in mind, or the club. So there will be discussions between them. Of course, I’m happy with how Ianis is performing.
“I knew about him already but there was a situation before the season started that was out of my hands. I’m happy that, after discussions with the club, everybody was willing from his side and ours to put water to the wine, come together, and find a solution to that. Clearly, it’s been very beneficial for the team.”
Meanwhile, Clement has vowed not to take any risks with his team selection for the Scottish Cup tie against Highland League minnows Fraserburgh. The Rangers boss could give fringe players like Ross McCausland, Cyriel Dessers and Connor Barron some much-needed game time.
And youngsters Bailey Rice and Zak Lovelace are also pushing for a start. But Clement insists he won’t just change his whole team for the sake of it.
He said: “We need to take this game very seriously. Everybody in the UK loves the cup competitions because every year there are surprises. We don’t want to be a bad surprise, so of course I’ll look at it.
“If there are younger players pushing for positions who have trained well, they deserve the experience and I will do it like I did at all my clubs in the past. But I’m not going to exaggerate that. It’s not just about putting out a totally different starting 11.”