Rangers sign Serbia right-back Kosta Nedeljkovic on loan from Aston Villa
Rangers have signed Serbia right-back Kosta Nedeljkovic on a season-long loan from Aston Villa, with a conditional obligation to make the deal permanent (BBC Sport).
The 20-year-old becomes the 11th arrival of a busy summer at Ibrox and will link up with Serbia international team-mate Vanja Dragojevic, who is already on the books in Glasgow.
For Nedeljkovic, it is a fresh start after a frustrating spell away from Villa Park. He joined Aston Villa from Red Star Belgrade — signing in January 2024 and arriving that summer — and made 10 appearances across all competitions before being sent out on loan to RB Leipzig in each of the last two seasons (BBC Sport).
The German stint did not go to plan. Knee and back injuries restricted him to just six appearances for Leipzig last season, a meagre return for a young player who needs minutes on the pitch to develop his game.
When the obligation to buy is triggered, Rangers will pay Aston Villa around £4 million to keep Nedeljkovic permanently (Birmingham Live; Sky Football). The "conditional" element means certain sporting targets — likely appearance or performance thresholds — must be met before that fee becomes binding. A right-back, for anyone new to the position, operates on the right edge of defence, combining tackling duties with runs forward to support the attack.
Rangers manager Derek McInnes was positive about what the youngster brings. He described Nedeljkovic as an athletic and energetic full-back, keen to get forward but with a real desire to defend and compete (BBC Sport). For a Rangers side rebuilding under McInnes, adding a player with international experience at 20 — even one short on recent game time — fits the profile of a club looking for value and potential upside.
For Nedeljkovic, the move offers something straightforward: a chance to play. After two injury-hit years and barely a handful of appearances in Germany, a full season in the Scottish Premiership — where Rangers compete for the title and in European competition — is a platform to remind people why Villa signed him in the first place. Having Dragojevic alongside him should help with the settling-in process too.
Eleven signings into a summer window tells its own story about the scale of change at Rangers. Nedeljkovic may prove to be one of the more interesting pieces of that puzzle.
