Rangers Star’s Move Away From The Club Suffers A Setback: Should The Club Sacrifice Money To Complete The Deal?

Rangers Star’s Move Away From The Club Suffers A Setback: Should The Club Sacrifice Money To Complete The Deal? Rangers have been hit by a late hitch in their planned exit for a 29-year-old defender, with John Souttar’s proposed switch to Aris Thessaloniki now in danger. According to an exclusive Daily Record report shared by Ibrox News , unresolved financial issues between the player and Rangers have stopped the transfer from reaching the final stage. Souttar was expected to travel for a medical before Greece’s September 15 deadline, but the impasse has delayed the move. Aris are making a final attempt to rescue the agreement, though time is short. Souttar has not played a single minute this season under Derek McInnes after leaving the manager’s plans. Last season, he made 24 Scottish Premiership appearances and logged 2,014 minutes, while he added five Europa League appearances. He entered the summer as an experienced Scotland international, yet his club position has changed sharply. Should Rangers sacrifice money to complete the deal? Yes. The logic looks straightforward for squad building and wage control. Souttar is 29, right-footed and capable of providing reliable top-flight experience, but McInnes has decided that other centre-backs sit ahead of him. Keeping a senior international who offers zero match minutes creates a poor return on salary unless injuries force a change. The financial dispute matters because a small settlement today could remove a higher cost from the books. Rather than protecting every pound of a deal, Rangers could subsidise the gap, complete the sale and clear Souttar’s wages from the squad. That would give McInnes a cleaner group and preserve room for future recruitment. What should Rangers do if the transfer falls through? McInnes has indicated that the club would honour Souttar’s contract and bring him back into the senior first-team group if no move materialises. That approach makes sense as a fallback, especially if Ben Godfrey or Emmanuel Fernandez suffer setbacks, but it should remain exactly that: a fallback. Holding onto a player who has fallen completely out of favour can damage his market value as each unused week passes. It can hurt dressing-room balance too, particularly when the defender knows he was told to seek a new club. Rangers therefore have a clear choice: accept a financial hit now or carry the sporting and wage cost into January. Given his 2025/26 workload, his experience and the zero minutes he has collected this term, paying the difference looks like the cleaner business decision, even if it stings.