Youssef Chermiti will miss a substantial stretch of the Rangers season after suffering anterior cruciate ligament damage in Sunday's 2-1 home defeat to Hibernian, the club confirmed via social media.
The timing made the injury particularly difficult. According to BBC Sport, Rangers had only recently turned down a transfer approach from Turkish champions Galatasaray for the striker before he was hurt. Chermiti collided with advertising boards following a jarring challenge during the match. The club's statement said he "will be out of action for a significant period of time."
Chermiti, 22, joined Rangers from Everton in September 2025, reportedly making him the club's most expensive signing since Tore Andre Flo in 2000. The Portuguese forward has made 43 appearances for the Ibrox club, starting 30 of them, and scored 15 goals. He has also been capped at under-21 level for Portugal.
Before Sunday's match kicked off, Rangers manager Derek McInnes addressed the reported Galatasaray interest directly. He confirmed the Turkish club's valuation did not meet what Rangers were asking.
"I'm led to believe the club's valuation of the player hasn't been met," McInnes told BBC Scotland. "It's no surprise that he's a player who's got a big (price) tag on him and he's got high potential, but thankfully he's our player and that will continue to be the case."
McInnes made clear the club had no intention of entertaining offers for Chermiti regardless. "We're trying to build a team here at the minute and we're trying to still bring additions to the team that helps us add to the good players that we've got, including Youssef," he said. "So it's not something we would encourage at any point."
The injury now sidelines one of Rangers' most important attacking options at the start of the league season, with no timeline yet given for his return.
