Ivor Pandur has revealed that Rangers wanted him long before he ever kicked a ball for Hull City, with the Croatian goalkeeper describing a transfer story that stretched across two and a half years before finally landing at Ibrox this summer.

Rangers announced the signing of the 26-year-old on a four-year deal from Hull on 30 June, for a fee reported by Sky Sports as £6 million. Pandur had spent two and a half seasons with the Tigers after joining from Dutch side Fortuna Sittard in 2024 — but his connection to Rangers predated even that move. According to the BBC, Rangers' interest first sparked before his switch to Hull, when Pandur's agent held talks with a club director who has since departed Ibrox. A deal came close then but never crossed the line.

Contact between the two clubs never fully went away. Pandur told the BBC that conversations continued "through the season" before his transfer, and once Rangers made their final approach, the paperwork was done "in a couple of days." The pace of the closing stretch contrasted sharply with the long, patient build-up.

Hull gave him a push towards the exit door as well. Pandur said the club told him they planned to bring in a new first-choice goalkeeper, a conversation that crystallised his decision to leave for Glasgow. His move also formed one half of a goalkeeper swap: Jack Butland, Rangers' established number one, was close to heading in the opposite direction to Hull as the two deals ran concurrently, per Sky Sports.

Before committing, Pandur did his homework through people who knew the club inside out. He consulted Hull teammates John Lundstram and Kieran Dowell — both former Rangers players — as well as ex-Ibrox striker Antonio Colak. Their advice helped persuade him that Glasgow was the right next step.

A familiar face was waiting when he arrived. Allan McGregor, the former Rangers and Scotland goalkeeper, returned to the club as goalkeeping coach at the same time Pandur walked through the door. For a young keeper settling into a new city and a demanding environment, having a figure of McGregor's stature alongside him is no small thing.

Pandur has already sampled the Ibrox atmosphere. He played his first match there in a pre-season friendly against French side St Etienne, an experience he called "a lovely experience." The stadium, when it fills up, is one of the loudest in Scottish football — a wall of noise that home goalkeepers ride and visiting ones dread.

He arrived at Rangers with international pedigree fresh in the memory. Pandur was named among Croatia's substitutes for their World Cup last-32 match against Portugal earlier in July, placing him on the fringes of a national team that continues to produce goalkeeping talent at a remarkable rate.

For Rangers, the signing addresses a position that demanded attention. The concurrent movement of Butland towards Hull means Pandur is arriving not as backup but as a clear statement of intent between the posts. Four years on his contract gives both player and club time to build something — and after a two-and-a-half-year courtship, neither side is starting from scratch.