Rangers have moved quickly on Daisuke Yokota, but the deal is not yet at the finish line. The club have reached a verbal agreement with Hannover 96 for the winger, with the reported package set at €3.3 million plus €700,000 in add-ons, taking it to €4 million. Yokota is expected to fly to Scotland on Tuesday, August 4, for a medical, and the next few steps matter more than the agreement itself.

The timing around registration

The deadline is the issue. Rangers want Yokota tied up before their Europa League opener against Jagiellonia Białystok, and they registered their 25-man UEFA squad on Monday night. He still has personal terms, paperwork and registration to clear, so there is no point pretending this is done until those boxes are ticked.

Match comes on 2026-08-06 19:00:00+00, which gives Rangers a short window to get everything sorted. Their next domestic fixture after that is Rangers against Hibernian's listed opponent on 2026-08-09 15:00:00+00, so the schedule leaves little room for delay.

Why Rangers want him

The interest is easy to understand. Yokota produced five goals and four assists in 30 Bundesliga 2 appearances last season, and that end product is part of the appeal. Ralf Becker, Hannover 96's sporting director, said: "Daisuke had a strong first season and scored some crucial goals for the team. That's why it was clear to us very early on that we wanted to exercise the option to sign him to a permanent contract. We're thrilled to have secured a player of such high calibre."

Hein Vanhaezebrouck, the former Gent boss, was just as direct about the profile. "He's a small guy, but very quick. He's good on the ball, has good vision and can play in several positions, and is a very intelligent player," he said. That fits what Rangers are after as Derek McInnes keeps pushing for more width.

The wider rebuild is still going on too. Rangers are also considering another move for Farès Ghedjemis after making two bids, the latest worth £8 million. The opening-day 1-1 draw away to Dundee United also underlined why McInnes wants more creativity in the squad, not just another body through the door.

Written by Sam Whitfield with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 3 outlets. How we work →