On 5 September, a writer from The Herald told PLZ Soccer’s The Journos program that the Romanian’s rumoured £25,000-a-week contract prevented him from moving to Rapid Bucharest. This came after an attempted exit failed when the attacker turned down the option before to the transfer deadline [Sky Sports, 26 August].

Although Hagi is not allowed to play for the first team and is rumoured to have a contract clause that increases his pay upon making 100 appearances [Daily Record, August 13], MacDonald is certain that teams won’t sign him for the amount he is currently on.

In 16 minutes and 25 seconds, he stated: “It’s simple—they pay Ianis Hagi too much, which is why they can’t get rid of him. It’s not a really mysterious or enigmatic situation.

Teams that are in for him will at most offer you half of x, a third of x, or a quarter of x per week. He is paid x amount per week.

According to reports, he earns more than £25,000 per week. Therefore, Rapid Bucharest, who is looking to acquire a player, is unlikely to offer him a salary of 25G per week. Furthermore, this instance is not unique.

“And this is something we can confirm with certainty because their annual pay spend is bigger than Celtic’s, don’t we? “What?,” you’re asking yourself.

Ianis Hagi is useless for Rangers, according to Philippe Clement.

It seems that the Rangers have cornered themselves so thoroughly that there isn’t a way out of the Hagi predicament that won’t now cost them.

There would be a last-minute escape route if a big-spending team decided to take a chance on the 25-year-old and made a low-ball offer where they agreed to match his existing pay, but with most European windows now closed, the possibilities are getting less and less.

It’s possible that Belgium, Russia, Turkey, or Qatar could be viable options, but there are only a few days left before they close [TEAMtalk, August 31], and there hasn’t been much news on that front thus far.

If not, it appears that Clement will either give in and allow Hagi to rejoin the team while the team absorbs the contract loss in the hopes that he will make up for it on the pitch, or they will work out a solution to end his contract [Daily Record, 29 August].

As the standoff has progressed, the player has made it apparent that he is dedicated to helping the team and has worked hard for the B Team.

The manager is undoubtedly less interested in that option now that Nedim Bajrami has arrived than when he only had Tom Lawrence at number 10, but a greater salary would make it even more difficult to sell him in the future unless he impresses.

Negotiations on a compromise are therefore unavoidable in order to avoid anyone losing out, except from one party blinking first.

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