When Rangers completed the deadline-day signing of Badredine Bouanani on a season-long loan from VfB Stuttgart, it represented one of the most intriguing pieces of business conducted in Scottish football this year.

Crucially, the Ibrox outfit negotiated a £15.5million option to buy the 21-year-old winger – a figure that, if triggered next summer, would make the Algerian international the most expensive signing in Rangers’ history.

However, despite remaining under contract with the Bundesliga club until 2030, Bouanani, who was snubbed by former Rangers player Brahim Hamdani‘s inaugural Algeria squad in the recently concluded international break, has made a cryptic off-field gesture that suggests he is already looking past his parent club.

How much is Dujon Sterling worth right now? Should Rangers cash-in during the summer or try and fend off Premier League interest?

The defender is one of the best in Scotland…

On-loan Rangers winger Badredine Bouanani erases all traces of Stuttgart from Instagram

The attacker has executed a complete clean slate of his public Instagram profile, removing nearly all traces and imagery associated with his past at Stuttgart, as well as OGC Nice. Instead, he has left just three posts on show – exclusively displaying his official Rangers presentation shirt alongside personal lifestyle snaps.

For a player still technically owned by the German outfit, erasing his primary Stuttgart presence is a subtle but unmistakable statement of where his focus now lies.

While Bouanani’s off-field gesture hints at a commitment to making his Glasgow stay permanent, his immediate challenge remains breaking into Derek McInnes’ high-flying side.

Rangers are currently riding a seven-game winning streak across all competitions, leaving competition for places in the wide areas fierce. As a result, Bouanani has faced a patient wait for opportunities, amassing just 96 minutes of action across four appearances (including a single start) since arriving in Scotland.

With Minsu Kim and Djeidi Gassama establishing themselves in McInnes‘ starting lineup, the loanee faces a stern battle to prove he is worth that record-breaking £15.5m outlay come the end of the campaign.

Despite cutting ties with his parent club’s public feed, Bouanani is still keeping a close eye on his friends in the game.

Following Stuttgart’s 3-0 away victory against Slovan Bratislava in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday, 14 October, the winger was quick to show support off the pitch by interacting with Bilal El Khannous’ post-match celebration.

Whether his off-field clean-sweep is symbolic of a fresh mental chapter or a firm indication of where he wants to build his career, Rangers fans will be eager to see the £15.5m talent translate that commitment into starting minutes on the pitch in the weeks ahead.