Rangers Close to Signing Badredine Bouanani on Loan
Rangers are racing the clock to land Badredine Bouanani – and all the signs point to a deal that suits everyone.
According to the Rangers Review, the 21-year-old VfB Stuttgart winger is undergoing a medical ahead of a season-long loan to Ibrox, with an €18m option to buy built into the agreement. With only hours left before the window closes, the move is close enough that only a late hitch looks capable of derailing it.
From Lille Prodigy to Bundesliga Prospect
Born in Lille, Bouanani came through the ranks at LOSC Lille, progressing from the academy into the reserve side during the 2021-22 season. On the international stage, he represented France at youth level before switching allegiance to Algeria in 2023, earning five caps so far.
He left Lille on a Bosman to join Ligue 1 rivals Nice, initially featuring for their youth side before forcing his way into sporadic first-team action. A loan to Lorient followed as he searched for regular minutes and a platform to show he could handle top-flight football.
That promise was enough to tempt Stuttgart into a €15m move last summer. The Bundesliga club backed his potential and handed him 28 appearances across all competitions in the 2024-25 campaign. Most of those outings came from the bench, though, and he finished the season with just two goals and two assists. For a player who lives off rhythm and repetition in the final third, it wasn’t enough.
Why Rangers, Why Now
That lack of sustained game time is precisely why this move makes sense. Bouanani needs minutes. Stuttgart need him to develop. Rangers need a spark on the right-hand side.
Daisuke Yokota has already arrived, but Derek McInnes has been searching for another left-footed option on the right wing, with the club also linked to Brighton & Hove Albion youngster Amario Cozier-Duberry. Bouanani fits that profile perfectly: a left-footer who can start wide, drift inside and hurt teams between the lines.
The timing is telling. Rangers have already endured a bruising European campaign, crashing out of both the Europa League and Conference League qualifiers. Their season now lives and dies on domestic fronts, and Celtic have wasted no time turning the screw, opening up a five-point lead in the Premiership with a perfect start.
Rangers have responded with back-to-back wins over Aberdeen and Falkirk, but the performances haven’t silenced the doubts. The results steadied the ship; they didn’t convince anyone that this attack is the finished article.
Lawrence Shankland has rediscovered his scoring touch, yet the supporting cast out wide remains unsettled. Findlay Curtis hasn’t nailed down the right flank. Yokota is still adapting. The sense that something is missing in the final third has lingered.
What Bouanani Brings to Ibrox
This is where Bouanani comes in.
He is built for tight spaces and pressure. His game is about explosive acceleration, sharp close control and rapid changes of direction. He thrives in one-on-one duels, happy to square up a full-back and go either way. From the right, he can cut inside to shoot or slip passes into the striker; he can also hit early, whipped crosses when he goes on the outside.
Those cut-ins, those overlaps, that composure in the box – they are exactly the traits Rangers have lacked when the tempo drops and the game needs a moment of individual quality to tilt it.
There is also the tactical flexibility. The club have already sanctioned Thelo Aasgaard’s loan move to Anderlecht after bringing in Kim Min-Su, who has been used as a ‘number 10’ but can operate off the left as well. Bouanani offers a similar kind of versatility. While most dangerous from the right, he is comfortable drifting into central pockets, operating between the lines and linking with the lone striker.
For McInnes, who prefers a 4-2-3-1, that matters. A front four of interchangeable attackers can drag defences out of shape, open lanes for Shankland and create the kind of variety that has been missing when Rangers are forced to break down a low block.
A Deal Loaded With Potential
From Stuttgart’s perspective, a season at Ibrox offers a high-intensity environment, big crowds and the pressure of a title race – all the ingredients to test a young attacker’s mentality. If he thrives, they either welcome back a far more polished player or watch Rangers trigger that €18m option.
For Rangers, the upside is obvious. They get a player valued at top-tier money without committing to a permanent fee up front. If Bouanani clicks in Glasgow, they have first refusal on a winger entering his prime years.
The clock is ticking on the window. Celtic are already in full stride. Rangers need more than just results; they need edge, imagination and someone willing to grab a game by the scruff of the neck on the flank.
Bouanani now stands on the brink of that stage. The question is simple: will Ibrox be the place where his promise finally explodes into end product?
