Rangers Target Badredine Bouanani for Season-Long Loan

Rangers are closing in on a bold late move for Badredine Bouanani, with the VfB Stuttgart winger undergoing a medical ahead of a season-long loan that carries an €18m option to buy, according to the Rangers Review. With the transfer window ticking into its final hours, only a late hitch looks capable of stopping the deal.

The 21-year-old arrives with a fascinating backstory and a point to prove. Born in Lille, Bouanani came through the famed LOSC Lille academy and turned out for their reserves in 2021-22 before walking away on a Bosman to join Ligue 1 rivals Nice. He represented France at youth level, but switched allegiance to Algeria in 2023 and has already collected five senior caps.

From Lille to Nice, then on again. After a short spell with Nice’s youth side, Bouanani forced his way into the first-team picture, making scattered appearances in Ligue 1 and then heading out on loan to Lorient. His real breakout came in the 2024-25 campaign, enough to tempt Stuttgart into paying around €15m for him last summer.

The step to the Bundesliga has not yet delivered the platform he wanted. Bouanani featured 28 times for Stuttgart across all competitions last season but mostly from the bench, finishing with just two goals and two assists. For a winger who thrives on rhythm and repetition, the minutes simply weren’t there.

So the move to Ibrox makes sense for everyone. Stuttgart protect their investment. The player gets the regular football he craves. Rangers, desperate for a spark on the right-hand side, may finally have found their man.

A Timely Gamble for a Stuttering Season

Derek McInnes has already endured a brutal European campaign. Rangers crashed out of both the Europa League and Conference League qualifiers, leaving only domestic competitions on the table. Celtic, relentless as ever, have opened up a five-point lead in the Premiership after winning every league game so far.

Rangers have steadied slightly with back-to-back wins over Aberdeen and Falkirk, but the performances have not silenced the doubts. The tempo has improved. The results look better. The creativity? Still not convincing.

Lawrence Shankland has rediscovered his scoring touch, yet the supporting cast around him remains unsettled. On the right flank, neither Findlay Curtis nor summer signing Daisuke Yokota has done enough to nail down the role. The need for a left-footed right-sided forward has been obvious for weeks, especially with interest swirling around Brighton & Hove Albion youngster Amario Cozier-Duberry.

That’s where Bouanani fits the puzzle.

What Bouanani Brings to Ibrox

Bouanani is not just another winger to pad out the squad. His game is built on explosive acceleration, tight control and sharp, darting movements that open up crowded defences. He enjoys operating in tight pockets, drawing defenders in and then slipping past them in one-on-one duels.

Cutting inside from the right, combining with overlapping full-backs, whipping in crosses or sliding passes across the box – this is where he comes alive. His composure in those moments could add a different texture to Rangers’ final-third play, which has too often looked predictable and flat.

The move also drops into a squad that is already reshaping its attacking structure. The club have sanctioned Thelo Aasgaard’s loan to Anderlecht after bringing in Kim Min-Su, who has been used primarily as a No 10 but can also drift in from the left. Bouanani, comfortable both wide and centrally, offers McInnes another flexible option behind the lone No 9 in his 4-2-3-1.

McInnes wants interchanging movement and fluidity around Shankland. Bouanani, on paper, gives him exactly that.

Now it comes down to one thing: can a 21-year-old, short on starts in Germany but rich in raw talent, handle the glare and demands of Ibrox at a time when Rangers cannot afford another misstep in the title race?