Rangers Midfielder Turns Down Move to Turkish Giants Besiktas

Although the transfer window for Rangers and the rest of Western Europe closed on Tuesday (the 1st of September 2026), it is still open in certain countries, including the Trendyol Super Lig in Turkey.

Therefore, it is still possible for teams in those leagues to try and buy players from within the leagues in Western Europe, including the Scottish Premiership.

Well, it looks like we have an example of that. Indeed so, as journalist Sacha Tavolieri has reported that Rangers’ Belgian midfield maestro, Nicolas Raskin, has turned down a move to Super Lig outfit Besiktas JK.

He reports that the two clubs had “finally agreed on a deal” but that the player is not convinced by the project offered to him by the Istanbul outfit, so the deal is off, and will not go through after all. 

Wow. Very interesting. Besiktas are a huge club, with a big following. They can also offer UEFA Europa League football. Rangers cannot offer any European football. Had he joined Besiktas, he would have been back in Glasgow on the 5th of November to face Celtic. 

There is the possibility of others coming in for him, perhaps from fellow Turkish sides Galatasaray, Trabzonspor or Fenerbahce, maybe the Saudi Pro League too, but until proven otherwise, we can for now assume that Raskin will be a Rangers player until at least the winter transfer window that opens in the new year. So let’s see.

Truth be told, there is some goodwill that the Belgian international will need to win back within the fanbase. Whilst the 25-year old may have been in the starting XI against Falkirk, he refused to be involved in the second leg against Jablonec, a game that cost the team a shot at any kind of European football, with the UEFA Conference League the last chance saloon in that regard.

That sort of thing does not get immediately forgotten about. If, and it remains an if, Raskin is to stay - at least until January - then he will have to win back the fans with consistent, committed performances on a weekly basis. Otherwise, it is hard to see him winning them over again, but let's wait and see. 

Having been heavily linked with a move to La Liga side Villarreal earlier on in the window, he probably feels like he can hold out for a move to Europe's top five leagues. Well, that won't be until January at least, so if that is what he wants, time to buckle up and prove why he is good enough to.