Ibrox officials open talks to sign £9m upgrade on Naderi for Rangers

April is just a day away, and Glasgow Rangers are still waiting for that real breakthrough moment from January arrival, Ryan Naderi, with the German striker yet to truly catch fire at Ibrox in recent months.

Signed on deadline day on a £4.7m deal, the 22-year-old has since scored just twice for the Light Blues, none of which came in the Premiership, while he only recently notched his first assist after teeing up Mikey Moore in the thumping 4-1 win last time out.

Operating as a second striker or number ten, behind Youssef Chermiti, the former Hansa Rostock man has struggled to strike up a real connection with the Portuguese marksman, even with the Gers still firmly in the mix for the title.

Naderi’s Premiership start
Stat (*per game)	Record
Games (starts)	7 (4)
Goals	0
Big chances missed	4
Assists	1
Big chances created	0
Total shots*	1.7
Pass accuracy*	70%
Key passes*	0.6
Successful dribbles*	0.1
Total duels won*	32%

Danny Rohl’s deployment of two centre-forwards, with Naderi acting as the link man, hasn’t necessarily paid off as yet, with the addition of a more natural playmaker or midfield box-crasher a potential solution to elevate the club’s misfiring forward line.

Rangers make approach to sign £9m midfielder

In terms of Rangers’ general midfield search, reports have suggested that the Glasgow side remain in the mix for deep-lying option, Silas Andersen, with the BK Hacken starlet also attracting interest from the likes of Celtic and Wolverhampton Wanderers.

It was indicated that it is Wolves who lead the race for his signature, however, with Rohl and co having perhaps missed their chance in January, amid claims that they were in the race during the winter window.

That said, another January target could emerge as a more prominent summer option, with Tromso’s Jens Hjerto-Dahl again believed to be in the Gers’ crosshairs.

As reported by Italian outlet The Rest of the PugRangers are believed to have made an approach ahead of a possible move for the Norway U21 international, with the likes of Bologna – and Celtic – also in the picture.

The 20-year-old – much like in the case of Andersen – won’t come cheap for any suitor, if the report is anything to go by, with the Norwegian outfit likely to demand a fee of around €10m (£9m) or €8m (£7m).

Rangers are still said to be pushing for a deal regardless, with the race now on to see if they can snap up such a highly-rated, in-demand talent.

Why Hjerto-Dahl could be an instant Naderi upgrade

If it is a holding midfielder that the Gers are after, then the aforementioned Andersen should well be the man, with the Scandinavian starlet something of a monster in front of the back four, while also capable of playing at centre-back.

Rangers could see £9m bid accepted to sign dream Nico Raskin upgrade

Rangers are in need of further midfield reinforcements this summer, particularly if Raskin is to depart.

In the case of Hjerto-Dahl, the Tromso “sensation” – as hailed by journalist Pete O’Rourke – can also operate as a defensive midfielder and a central midfielder, although it is in an advanced role where his talents may be better utilised.

If deployed in something of a 4-2-3-1 or 4-2-2-2, there’s no reason why he couldn’t oust Naderi in that number ten or second striker role, having only recently kicked off the new Norwegian league season by netting a hat-trick against Fredrikstad.

Operating as something of a box-crashing option on the left of a midfield three in that 4-0 win, Hjerto-Dahl was a menace in an attacking sense, registering seven shots in total, completing 100% of his dribbles and recording 17 total carries.

That willingness to get forward could well ensure he can operate as a direct replacement for Naderi, rather than part of a midfield two, having now racked up 24 goals and assists in 89 games for his current side to date.

Likened to ex-Lazio talisman, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic – another towering midfielder who regularly operated in a more advanced role – the 6 foot 3 sensation could well add a different dimension to Rohl’s midfield and forward line, offering that genuine link between the two departments.

On current evidence, Naderi isn’t quite delivering in that same link role, with his tally of one goal involvement in the Premiership having come from seven total outings, albeit with only four of those from the start.

Creatively too, the German has been found wanting, averaging just 0.6 key passes per game and failing to create a single ‘big chance’, with there perhaps a sense that both him and Chermiti are almost too alike to flourish together.

Hjerti-Dahl, meanwhile, is an astute creator and goalscorer in equal measure, with the 2025 Eliteserien campaign seeing him create five ‘big chances’, while averaging one key pass per game from his 30 outings.

Not just for the size of the potential price tag alone, the youngster arguably represents an even more exciting talent than Naderi, with this certainly a deal worth pursuing as far as Rohl is concerned.