Rangers appear increasingly likely to miss out on Tromso midfielder Jens Hjerto-Dahl as Cardiff City make a bold push to sign the Norwegian playmaker.
The Ibrox club had been tracking the 20-year-old for most of the last 12 months, with hopes of landing one of Scandinavia’s most exciting young talents.
Hjerto-Dahl, valued at £8.5million, had previously indicated a preference for a move to Glasgow over a rival offer from Turkish giants Besiktas.
Norwegian media reported that Rangers lodged an opening bid of £5.3million last week, though that offer was unsuccessful in convincing Tromso to sell.
Cardiff City have since entered the picture, submitting a £5.5million bid of their own which was also rejected by the Norwegian club.
The Welsh side are expected to return with a fresh offer in the coming days, armed with the lure of potential Premier League football if they secure promotion from the English Championship.
Highly-placed Ibrox sources have hinted the deal for Hjerto-Dahl is now in danger of collapsing entirely, dealing a blow to supporters who had grown excited about his possible arrival.
Reports in Norway claimed an Ibrox delegation had flown to the Arctic Circle to fight off Cardiff’s interest, but Record Sport understands that is not accurate.
The Rangers hierarchy remain in Spain, where manager Derek McInnes is wrapping up a week-long pre-season training camp that concludes on Friday.
While Hjerto-Dahl appears to be slipping away, Rangers are moving closer to securing Partizan Belgrade captain Vanja Dragojevic in a deal worth £4.6million.
The club tabled an initial package of £3.8million earlier this month, which was knocked back by the Serbian club.
Rangers have since improved their offer to £4.6million, with a 10 percent sell-on clause also included in the revised bid.
Ibrox chiefs are now confident the improved terms will be enough to land the 20-year-old midfield anchor man, who will become the club’s seventh signing of the summer.
McInnes is focused on strengthening the spine of his squad but is also searching for an attacking option capable of making a difference through the middle of the park.
A right winger and a left-sided centre-back also feature on the manager’s wish list as he looks to assemble a well-rounded squad for the new campaign.
South Africa international Olwethu Makhanya of Philadelphia Union had been linked with a move to Ibrox, though discussions around the winger have cooled in recent days.
Rangers have already brought in Lawrence Shankland, Ben Godfrey, Dan Neil, Ross McCrorie, Cammy Devlin, and goalkeeper Ivor Pandur ahead of the new season.
With Dragojevic expected to follow, the club anticipates adding five further new faces before the transfer window closes.
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