Rangers Reject £22m Galatasaray Bid for Chermiti as McInnes Holds Firm
Rangers have turned down a £22 million offer from Galatasaray for forward Youssef Chermiti, with manager Derek McInnes insisting the 21-year-old is staying put Rangers Review.
The Turkish giants tested Rangers' resolve in August, but the Ibrox club are not encouraging a sale. McInnes was blunt: Chermiti "will remain a Rangers player" and the club are "concentrating on our game" rather than entertaining transfer talk BBC Sport.
That stance carries real weight when you look at what Chermiti has produced. He has made 43 Rangers appearances — 30 of them starts — and scored 15 goals BBC Sport. Those are healthy numbers for a young forward still finding his feet in senior football, and they are underpinned by international recognition: Chermiti is capped at under-21 level by Portugal BBC Sport.
His time at Ibrox has not been without disruption. An Achilles injury suffered in April sidelined him, and he missed Rangers' home match against Falkirk while recovering Rangers FC. He had previously returned from injury to start against Braga the previous November Rangers FC, then was restored to the starting lineup against Motherwell in February after another spell out Rangers FC. By April he was back in the squad, named on the bench for the Dundee United match at Ibrox Rangers FC.
The picture around his valuation is firm. Rangers are seeking a flat fee of around £25.6 million to sanction any sale, with Besiktas also circling Yahoo Sports. The rejected Galatasaray bid of £22 million fell short of that figure, and McInnes's public line leaves little room for interpretation.
What gives this its edge is the broader rebuild under way at Ibrox. McInnes arrived from Heart of Midlothian this summer and has already brought in nine signings BBC Sport. The squad is being reshaped around players the manager believes in, and Chermiti fits that vision. McInnes called him "a player with a big tag and high potential" — not the language of a manager preparing to lose his man BBC Sport.
The window is not closed on Rangers' own business, either. McInnes confirmed the club have bids in for several players and expects news on some targets in the coming days BBC Sport. So while Chermiti's future looks settled, the squad around him may yet shift again before the transfer deadline.
For Rangers fans, the message is straightforward: the rebuild rolls on, and the young Portuguese forward is part of it.
