This Swap Deal Talks Accelerate Now For Rangers: Is This Audacious Deal Right For Glasgow Giants? | OneFootball

Derek McInnes has barely had time to unpack his boxes at Ibrox, but the new Rangers boss is already staring down the barrel of a massive transfer gamble.

Rangers accelerate big swap negotiations as Ibrox rebuild ignites

According to football journalist Ben Jacobs, a complex deal is gathering pace. Rangers want Hull City goalkeeper Ivor Pandur. The total value sits at £6m, but the crucial detail is how the Glasgow giants plan to pay for it. They want to send veteran number one Jack Butland down to the MKM Stadium, valuing the Englishman at £3m and making up the difference with a £3m cash injection.

Hull wanted £10m earlier in the summer. They dug their heels in. Now that the valuation has dropped to get the deal over the line. It is a massive risk. Madness, some might say.

Audacious Ibrox deal divides opinion

HULL, ENGLAND – MAY 08: Ivor Pandur of Hull City looks on during the Sky Bet Championship Play-Off Semi-Final First Leg between Hull City and Millwall at MKM Stadium on May 08, 2026 in Hull, England. (Photo by George Wood/Getty Images)

Butland is a proven match-winner. He understands the unique, suffocating pressure of Glasgow, where drawing a match feels like a national tragedy. Trading him for a 26-year-old with zero experience of the Scottish top flight feels unnecessarily chaotic.

Pandur, to his credit, just enjoyed a stellar year. 48 games for Hull in a gruelling Championship campaign. 14 clean sheets. He was a vital cog in their successful promotion push, even if he did ship 65 goals along the way. The Croatian is talented, no doubt.

But why fix what isn’t broken?

The recruitment team needs to look at the bigger picture. Forking out £3m cash while simultaneously losing your most reliable defensive spine looks like poor business. That money could be better spent elsewhere. The midfield needs creativity. The attack needs teeth.

Dropping Pandur straight into the Ibrox pressure cooker under these conditions is unfair on the lad. McInnes needs sensible, pragmatic additions right now, not expensive punts that risk upsetting the entire dressing room.