Rangers are closing in on the signing of Japanese winger Daisuke Yokota, with a £3.4 million deal agreed including add-ons, according to transfer reporter Fabrizio Romano.
The 26-year-old is due to undergo his medical at Ibrox, with an initial fee of €3.3 million forming the basis of a deal that could rise to €4 million.
Yokota is a left-footed right winger capable of beating defenders down the line as well as cutting inside to create and finish chances.
The Japanese international joined Hannover 96 on a permanent basis last summer after an impressive loan spell in which he recorded five goals and four assists.
Despite Yokota’s contributions, Hannover narrowly missed out on promotion to the Bundesliga, finishing fourth in Germany’s second tier last season.
The stats behind the move make for compelling reading, with Yokota covering over 11km per 90 minutes at Hannover, a figure no Rangers player matched last season as the best average at Ibrox was 10.2km.
Yokota also completed 68 ball recoveries during his time at Hannover, with that figure representing 24 more than Thelo Aasgaard, who led Rangers attackers in that department last season.
Aasgaard himself was forced to play out of position in Rangers’ 1-1 Scottish Premiership opening day draw with Dundee United, while Djedi Gassama failed to impress and Findlay Curtis saw only limited minutes from the bench.
Ben Godfrey’s injury has also raised questions about defensive depth, with Camilo Mena of Lechia Gdańsk reported as a transfer target as McInnes looks to shore up his backline.
McInnes was candid after the draw with Dundee United, making clear that further signings cannot come quickly enough as pre-season preparations continue to shape the squad’s outlook.
The Rangers manager said: “I know the evidence today would suggest we’ve still got loads and loads to do, but I do think we have got enough to be encouraged about.”
He added: “But the new signings need to land pretty soon; I need to say that… we’ve got important games and we’re just really trying to crank that up to try and get players in the building as quickly as possible.”
Yokota’s arrival would go some way to solving the wide attacking problem, but the need for defensive reinforcements remains pressing ahead of a crucial period of the season.
