Rangers confirm permanent signing of Ianis Hagi

Rangers have confirmed the signing of Ianis Hagi on a permanent basis after the Romanian international impressed on loan.

The Ibrox side negotiated their option to buy the 21-year-old after he arrived from Belgian side Genk in January.

He has so far made 12 appearances for Rangers, including a Europa League tie with Braga where he scored twice in a 3-2 comeback win.

He is the son of legendary midfielder Gheorghe Hagi and has 10 caps for his country.

Genk announced the completion of the deal on their website last night, but deleted the article as it had not yet been fully finalised.

Rangers have now officially announced the signing “on a permanent, long term deal”.

The fee is thought to be around £3m, paid in three instalments.

🆕 𝐇𝐀𝐆𝐈 𝐈𝐒 𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐄! 🆕

📝 #RangersFC can confirm that @IanisHagi10 has agreed to join the club on a permanent, long term deal.

👉 https://t.co/aBTIugln8h pic.twitter.com/uOxVhMhqJB

— Rangers Football Club (@RangersFC) May 27, 2020

Hagi told the Rangers website: “I am excited about re-joining the squad for pre-season and putting on the famous shirt once again. There was interest from other clubs, but my priority was always to return to Glasgow and play for Rangers.

“I really enjoyed my loan spell at Ibrox and look forward to playing in front of our fans very soon, but for now I hope all of the Rangers fans and your families are staying safe and well.”

I’m extremely happy and proud to be part of the @RangersFC family and represent the colours of such a huge club permanently. I can’t wait to meet up with the boys, play at Ibrox again and keep enjoying moments with our amazing fans! 💙🤍
I also want to thank @KRCGenkofficial pic.twitter.com/plgdDs7L2p

— Ianis Hagi (@IanisHagi10) May 27, 2020

Ibrox Sporting Director, Ross Wilson, thanked Genk for their willingness to do a deal for the player during a turbulent time for the game.

He added: “We are delighted that Ianis has chosen to continue his career at Rangers. I have had numerous conversations with Ianis and his representatives and he made it clear that continuing with Rangers was his absolute focus.

“He is not only a huge talent but also a top young professional who is determined to be successful. We are sure our investment in him will be an effective one as we believe in his ability now whilst also being excited that at 21 years old there is significantly more development to come from him.”

The transfer will be formally completed when the next transfer window opens.

Players are expected back for training at Scottish clubs in the next few weeks, dependant on safety measures amid the coronavirus outbreak.

Rangers boss Steven Gerrard told the club’s website: “Ianis is recognised throughout Europe as a young, exciting player so to have him join Rangers on a permanent basis is great news.

“I was able to develop a relationship with Ianis very quickly, he is a pleasure to coach as he is willing to learn and become better every training session. He has already experienced the pressure and expectation of Ibrox, I know he is ready for next season.”