Rangers Eye Hearts Player As McInnes Targets Reunion At Ibrox: Good Option? | OneFootball

The ink is barely dry on the compensation package, but Derek McInnes is already planning a raid on his former employer. A three-year deal at Rangers is close. For the 54-year-old manager, it’s a homecoming. He spent five memorable years patrolling the Rangers midfield in the late nineties, and the board always viewed him as the safest pair of hands to steady a ship that wobbled violently last term. But the real story isn’t the dugout. It’s who follows him through the front doors. Rumours are rife that Hearts forward Claudio Braga is top of his shopping list.

Derek McInnes nears Ibrox move as Hearts star Claudio Braga emerges as prime target

Getting him won’t be cheap. Hearts are stubborn. They knocked back £5m in January, and word out of Tynecastle suggests it will take closer to £8m or even £10m to get a deal done now. That’s a staggering markup for a player who arrived in Edinburgh last summer for a modest £400,000. The Portuguese attacker enjoyed a stunning breakthrough season in the Scottish Premiership, netting 14 league goals. Alongside Lawrence Shankland, he formed the most lethal partnership outside the Old Firm, racking up 30 goals between them. Now, McInnes wants to export that magic to Glasgow.

Why does this transfer make perfect sense for a stuttering Rangers side?

EDINBURGH, SCOTLAND – MAY 04: Cláudio Braga of Heart of Midlothian arrives at the stadium prior to the William Hill Premiership match between Heart of Midlothian and Rangers at Tynecastle Park on May 04, 2026 in Edinburgh, Scotland. (Photo by Zak Mauger/Getty Images)

Money talks, but versatility shouts. Braga isn’t just a goal poacher. Last season, he played across the entire front line, leading the line, hugging both flanks, and dropping deep into the pockets as a creative number ten. Total return? 17 goals and six assists in all competitions. That sort of tactical flexibility is precisely what Rangers lacked during a drab, trophyless campaign. The fans are restless. Another false start under a new regime will cause uproar at Ibrox, meaning the board must find players who can handle the intense scrutiny immediately.

Braga fits the profile. At 26, the peak years are ahead of him, yet he possesses enough miles on the clock to hit the ground running. Crucially, Rangers have already secured Shankland. Rekindling that partnership at Ibrox could be the catalyst to bridge the gap at the top of the table. The transfer window opened this morning, and the clock is ticking. McInnes knows the player inside out, but the ball is firmly in the court of the Rangers hierarchy to stump up the cash.