Rangers Prepare to Offload Nedim Bajrami as Saudi Interest Grows

Nedim Bajrami’s Rangers career looks to be heading for a swift and quiet exit, less than a year after he walked through the doors at Ibrox with genuine expectation around him.

The Albania international joined from Sassuolo in August 2024, a 27-year-old in his prime, billed as a creative option who could bring something different to the Rangers midfield. Instead, his time in Glasgow has drifted by in fits and starts, with only 12 Scottish Premiership appearances to show for it last season and no sustained run that suggested he was ever truly central to the project.

Now the club are deep into a rebuild under Derek McInnes, and Bajrami has been told, bluntly, that he is not part of those plans.

Surplus to requirements

Bajrami is one of several players informed they can move on as McInnes reshapes his squad ahead of the new campaign. Rangers are pushing hard on recruitment, and every spare wage and squad slot matters. Offloading Bajrami would clear both space and budget for arrivals the manager believes can carry his ideas on the pitch.

The message is clear: this is a squad in transition, and passengers will not be carried.

Rangers have been working behind the scenes to find a solution, ideally one that suits all parties and avoids a prolonged stand-off with a player under contract but out of favour. That search now appears to be gathering pace.

Al Taawoun step forward

Interest in Bajrami has been bubbling away in the background. Clubs in Italy and Turkey have been monitoring his situation, aware that a player who has slipped down the pecking order at Ibrox might be prised away on reasonable terms.

The picture shifted again with fresh reports that Saudi Pro League side Al Taawoun have moved to the front of the queue. Sunsport report that the club are in talks with Rangers over an initial loan deal, with a future fee of around £2.5 million on the table.

It is the kind of structure that suits Rangers’ current position: immediate relief on the wage bill, with a defined path to a permanent sale if Bajrami settles and performs.

Negotiations are ongoing, and the deal is not done yet. Other interested clubs are said to be waiting in the wings, ready to act if talks stall or terms change.

For Bajrami, the decision is stark. Stay and fight for minutes in a squad where the manager has already drawn his line, or take the chance of a fresh start, potentially in Saudi Arabia’s fast-growing league, with the promise of regular football and a prominent role.

For Rangers, the direction of travel is just as clear. McInnes wants a leaner, sharper group built in his image. Bajrami, once a hopeful addition, now looks like one more necessary departure on the way to that new-look side.