Rangers to ramp up bid to sign £8.5m star

Glasgow Rangers are in the market for further additions to their midfield ranks in the summer transfer window, despite already signing two new players in that area of the park.

Dan Neil joined on a free transfer from Premier League side Sunderland earlier this month, before Cammy Devlin joined after his contract with Hearts expired, reuniting with Derek McInnes.

One central midfielder who remains on the club’s radar is Bologna and Scotland star Lewis Ferguson, who came through the Ibrox youth set-up before being released as a teenager.

The Serie A side are looking for a fee in excess of £10m for the Scotland international, though, and it remains to be seen whether or not the Light Blues are ready to stump up that kind of cash for him.

Why Rangers should not pay over £10m for Lewis Ferguson

Paying more than £10m for Ferguson would make him the club’s most expensive signing since they brought in Tore Andre Flo for £12m in the summer of 2000, 26 years ago.

With the transfer model that the Gers have, needing to make profit on players to generate funds, they should only be paying significant fees such as that if they believe that the player could be sold on for more in the future.

Youssef Chermiti, for example, was brought in for £8m and was recently the subject of a £15m bid from Ligue 1 side Lyon, which was not enough to tempt the Light Blues into cashing in on him.

Ferguson, however, turns 27 next month and would not arrive at Ibrox as a young player with potential to increase his value, but rather an experienced star who could hit the ground running and provide quality on the pitch.

The Scotland international, who has missed 33 league matches in the last two seasons for Bologna, could offer value in the short to mid-term on the pitch, but it seems unlikely he would be sold for a profit in the future.

That is why the Gers may be better off looking elsewhere for a third midfield recruit, because the Scottish star may cost too much for it to make sense from a footballing or financial perspective.

Rangers pursuing star who would offer more than Lewis Ferguson

Instead of pushing the boat out to sign Ferguson, the Scottish Premiership giants should look at a cheaper alternative with more potential, which appears to be what they have on their agenda this month.

Football Insider reports that Glasgow Rangers are pursuing a deal to sign Tromso central midfielder Jens Hjerto-Dahl in the summer transfer window.

They claim that the Light Blues are planning to ramp up their bid to bring the Norwegian starlet to Ibrox because they are facing competition from a number of teams in the Turkish Super Lig.

Football Insider adds that the Scottish side are preparing to make an offer to get in before the Turkish sides have a chance to land the 20-year-old, who has previously been touted at a fee of £8.5m.

Hjerto-Dahl is six years younger than Ferguson and would join the Gers as a player with the potential to grow in value during his time at Ibrox, as Chermiti did last summer, which is why he could be a better signing for the long-term.

On top of making more sense from a financial perspective, due to him being cheaper and having more potential for the future, the Norway U21 international could also offer more on the pitch in the short-term.

Since the start of the 2024/25 campaign, Hjerto-Dahl has scored 11 goals and provided six assists from a central midfield position for Tromso in the Eliteserien, whilst Ferguson has produced one goal and one assist for Bologna in the Serie A in that time.

In the 2026 Eliteserien, the Norwegian star has also won 4.4 duels per match and made 1.8 tackles and interceptions per game for Tromso, compared to the Scottish star’s 1.4 tackles and interceptions and 3.2 duels won per game in the Serie A last term.

These statistics suggest that Hjerto-Dahl has the potential to offer more to Rangers on the pitch than Ferguson in the short-term if he can carry his form over to the Premiership, as he can provide a greater threat in front of goal and more defensive protection for the backline.

Therefore, the Gers should pursue him instead of the Bologna captain because it could make more sense financially and from a footballing perspective, both for now and for the future.