Glasgow Rangers kick off their Scottish Premiership campaign in less than a week as they prepare to travel to Dundee United on Friday night.
The Light Blues have made plenty of signings to bolster their squad, including Lawrence Shankland, Vanja Dragojevic, Ben Godfrey, and Ivor Pandur, but they have yet to splash major money on a marquee addition.
Meanwhile, their title and city rivals Celtic are closing in on a deal to sign Bodo/Glimt centre-forward Kasper Hogh for a fee in excess of £11m including add-ons.
The Denmark international has scored 24 league goals since the start of 2025 and scored five goals in the Champions League last season, bolstering Celtic’s attack ahead of the new campaign.
Why Rangers need an answer to Kasper Hogh
Based on the money being spent on him and his exceptional form for Bodo/Glimt over the past 18 months, Hogh looks set to be a significant signing for the Hoops, and one that could increase their chances of winning the league again this term.
Celtic are showing ambition in the transfer market by splashing out a fee that is more than Rangers have spent on a player since they paid £12m for Tore Andre Flo 26 years ago.
Rangers need to find an answer to this move by their rivals because they have yet to splash the cash on a marquee attacking addition, only signing Shankland on a free transfer from Hearts so far.
|
Rangers top goalscorers in 25/26 Premiership |
|
|---|---|
|
Player |
Goals |
|
Youssef Chermiti |
15 |
|
James Tavernier |
8 |
|
Thelo Aasgaard |
7 |
|
Mikey Moore |
7 |
|
Bojan Miovski |
7 |
|
Nicolas Raskin |
6 |
|
Emmanuel Fernandez |
5 |
|
Djeidi Gassama |
3 |
|
Danilo |
3 |
No Rangers midfielder or winger hit double figures for goals in the Premiership in the 2025/26 campaign, and two of the club’s top three scorers from non-striker positions, Mikey Moore and James Tavernier, have since moved on from Ibrox.
This suggests that Derek McInnes needs to add more quality to his midfield and wide positions from an attacking perspective, to ensure that the Gers have enough firepower to compete for the title.
Rangers are pursuing an answer to Kasper Hogh
After bringing in Shankland as a new striker, after his 16-goal haul in the Premiership last term, they are now looking at a star in a different position to be their answer to Celtic’s deal for Hogh.
The Daily Record reports that Glasgow Rangers are exploring a deal to sign Besiktas right winger Vaclav Cerny in the summer transfer window.
It states that the Czechia international is keen on a return to Ibrox after new signings by the Turkish giants have pushed him further down the pecking order in Istanbul.
Meanwhile, Star Gazetesi adds that Besiktas would be willing to part ways with him for a fee of around £8.5m, but his wages of £45k-per-week could be a stumbling block for the Gers even if they agree a fee with the Super Lig outfit.
Cerny was a superstar for the Light Blues during his loan spell from Wolfsburg in the 2024/25 campaign, scoring 18 goals in all competitions, which is why he would be such a marquee addition on a permanent deal.
12 months after losing out to Besiktas, which is now regarded as a mistake per the Daily Record, Rangers must put things right and finally sign him on a permanent basis as their answer to Celtic’s move for Hogh.
|
24/25 Premiership |
Vaclav Cerny |
Rank vs RWs |
|---|---|---|
|
xG |
9.03 |
Top 6% |
|
Shots |
95 |
Top 1% |
|
Goals |
12 |
Top 6% |
|
Chances created |
81 |
Top 1% |
|
xA |
8.41 |
Top 1% |
|
Touches in opposition’s box |
170 |
Top 8% |
|
Assists |
4 |
Top 25% |
Cerny was a bona fide star in the Premiership during his first spell at Ibrox, scoring goals and creating chances for his teammates at an exceptional rate, and he would be an immediate star for McInnnes.
Rangers lacked goals and assists from the wide areas in the 2025/26 campaign, as none of their players hit double figures for goals or assists from those positions in the league, and the Czechia international would solve that problem.
Hogh, who scored 17 goals in the Eliteserien in 2025, looks set to provide Celtic with a significant attacking boost as a big-money signing, but a Rangers move for Cerny would be the perfect answer at Ibrox.
Bringing the left-footed star back to Glasgow to provide a regular threat in front of goal as both a scorer and a creator from the flank could negate any advantage the Hoops create by signing Hogh, as the Gers would have their own marquee attacking signing.
The Scottish giants need to show ambition in the market to ensure that they have a squad that has enough quality to go and win the Premiership, which is why they must splash the cash to sign Cerny for £8.5m.
They must show that they mean business and are not resting on their laurels whilst their rivals make huge signings, putting a marker down ahead of the season kicking off on Friday.