Rangers has confirmed that striker Youssef Chermiti will be sidelined for an extended period due to an ACL injury sustained during the team's recent 2-1 defeat to Hibernian.
The injury to the 22-year-old Portuguese forward represents a major setback for manager Derek McInnes, who had planned for Chermiti to be a central figure in the team's attack alongside captain Lawrence Shankland.
Chermiti was stretchered off the field at Ibrox on Sunday following a challenge. The club released a brief statement confirming the injury: “Following assessment, striker Youssef Chermiti suffered an ACL injury in Sunday’s match with Hibernian. Youssef will be out of action for a significant period of time. Everyone at Rangers is with him as he begins his recovery.”
This blow comes days after reports indicated that Rangers rejected a club-record bid of £22 million from Galatasaray for Chermiti over the weekend. Club chairman Andrew Cavenagh addressed the situation at a meeting with shareholders on Monday, explaining the club's transfer strategy.
“When we think about selling a player, there are two things that have to come together,” Cavenagh stated. “One is that we get the value that is appropriate for the player and the second is that there is time left in the window that we can reinvest those funds quickly and efficiently to be equal or better from a sporting perspective. If both of those things don’t exist, we won’t do a deal. We are not under pressure to sell.”
Cavenagh also defended the decision to play Chermiti despite the transfer offer. “Going from an offer to where a player goes out of the door, there is a huge number of things that have to happen before you would pull a player out of a line-up,” he said. “Just because someone lobs an unsolicited offer in on one sheet of paper, you don’t yank a player from a really important match.”
In addition to Chermiti's injury, left-back Tuur Rommens is also facing a spell on the sidelines with a groin issue. This could lead to Jayden Meghoma returning to the team on loan from Brentford, as Rangers were already looking to strengthen their full-back options. The club has also been linked with AEK Athens' James Penrice and is reportedly close to completing a £7 million move for PSV winger Couhaib Driouech. Club Brugge's Hugo Siquet and Aston Villa's Kosta Nedeljkovic are also reported targets.
Chermiti's long-term absence is expected to significantly influence Rangers' remaining transfer plans as they aim to secure up to five more signings before the transfer window closes.