By Ben Banks

Copyright glasgowworld

Rangers fielded interest from three Premier League clubs near the end of the transfer window for Nico Raskin – including Everton and Leeds United. A running theme towards the end of the summer business was Raskin’s future, after he was left out of the stalemate with Celtic prior to September’s international break. The Belgian ended up staying amid rumours of the Premier League and Italy, going on to score for the Red Devils in a thumping victory over Kazakhstan. Now claims have emerged that Brentford, Everton and Leeds United all looked to seal a deal for Raskin. It wasn’t something that the midfielder was interested in though as he looked to continue working at Rangers with Russell Martin as head coach. Nico Raskin Rangers future addressed TBR claim: “TBR Football understands that Leeds, Brentford, and Everton all held talks with Rangers about Nico Raskin in the final week of the deadline, however, the player said no. TBR Football can confirm that several clubs, including Leeds, Brentford, and Everton, had contact with Rangers regarding a prospective deal. But their enquiries did not advance when they became aware that Raskin wanted to fight for his Ibrox future.” Raskin said of his future on international duty in the last week: “My situation at the club is complicated. I will return, work hard, and try to get playing time again. But it’s not just up to me. I know this is an important year, and I absolutely want to be part of this campaign with Belgium. “Football is simply a game of ups and downs. I absolutely love Rangers. I’ve had some great moments there and have a strong bond with the fans. I always try to give my all. A transfer? No, that’s out of the question. I want to continue to resolve this at the club.” Martin had already addressed where Raskin was at within his Rangers camp earlier in the summer. He said: “There’s been a bit of uncertainty about him this summer, for sure. Not from people ringing us, but I think from people ringing him, definitely. “So I think that’s affected his approach. Not in terms of professionalism, but he’s a young man, of course it’s going to have an impact at some point. And then we’ve had a discussion and since he came out of the team, he’s been a different guy. Incredible. Hopefully we can get to the end of the window, he’s played brilliantly, the window shuts, he’s still here. And then we can keep improving and keep kicking on.” Next up is Hearts in the Premiership this Saturday. Jambos boss Derek McInnes said of the game: “I do think when you go to Rangers that you’ve got to have that personality and confidence and arrogance about you that you can get a result, because Rangers, despite the difficult start that was mentioned, they’ve got good players, there’s significant investment being put into the team, and I think in time that will prove dividends.”