Widell says unnamed Rangers star blocked his Ibrox move as Besiktas ready January bid for Raskin

Widell says unnamed Rangers star blocked his Ibrox move as Besiktas ready January bid for Raskin

Excelsior centre-back Casper Widell has revealed he was close to completing a summer move to Rangers — only for the transfer to collapse because one of the Ibrox club's own players refused to leave.

The 23-year-old, who remains with the Rotterdam club after being strongly linked with a switch to Glasgow, says his move "fell through after an unnamed player refused to leave Ibrox".

Widell's claim adds an intriguing postscript to Rangers' summer transfer window, with the Dutch-based defender evidently convinced he was on his way to Scotland until an obstacle emerged from within the Ibrox dressing room.

Besiktas keep circling Raskin

While one Rangers deal died in the summer, another could yet be revived in January. Rangers midfielder Nicolas Raskin is Besiktas' main signing target for the winter window, despite the Turkish club having already failed to persuade the 25-year-old to move to Istanbul during the summer.

The Belgium midfielder, who had appeared likely to be sold by Rangers during the summer window, is now understood to be keen to stay at Ibrox to help the club push for the Scottish title this season — and Rangers have no intention of letting him leave before the end of the campaign.

Raskin has made five appearances in the current Scottish Premiership season without registering a goal or an assist, according to a FotMob snapshot of his 2026-27 campaign — but his importance to Rangers' title push appears undiminished, with the club determined to keep him until next summer at the earliest.