Nottingham Forest are now ready to make an offer for Rangers midfielder Bailey Rice, whose contract is set to expire at the end of May.
Rice set to leave Rangers after injury setback
In the early stages of the 2023-24 season, former Rangers boss Michael Beale claimed Rice was ready to start competing for a place in the starting XI, saying: “I’m telling you we have a heck of a player with Bailey Rice. He’s 16, not 17 until next month, so when I introduce him to this mad house will be important – and we’ll have to protect him – but I’m telling you he’s ready.”
However, the central midfielder, who is now 19-years-old, never managed to make the grade at Ibrox, making just two appearances in all competitions this season, having been required to undergo surgery to deal with a knee injury.
The Scottish youngster’s contract is set to expire at the end of the month, which means he will be free to join a new club on a free transfer, and a number of Premier League clubs are now waiting in the wings to secure his signature.
That is according to journalist Pete O’Rourke, who told Football Insider that Forest are amongst Rice’s potential suitors, alongside Aston Villa and Crystal Palace.
“There are clubs willing to take that gamble on Rice. He’s been talked about for a long time now and is a very highly regarded player in Scotland. It does seem more than likely that he will leave Ibrox as a free agent this summer when his contract expires, which will be a big blow for Rangers.
“There have been suggestions that the likes of Nottingham Forest, Aston Villa and Crystal Palace are all ready to offer Rice the opportunity to move down to England to continue his career.
“He’s got huge potential and that’s probably why you’ve got this interest in him from the Premier League because they see their potential and they’ll be hoping that they can tap into that and bring out the best in him.”
Forest looking to sign another midfielder despite Anderson’s heroics
It’s official — Nottingham Forest will be playing Premier League football once again next season, having secured safety courtesy of a 1-1 draw against Newcastle United at The City Ground on Sunday.
Elliot Anderson was once again the hero for the Tricky Trees, with the midfielder bagging an 88th-minute equaliser to cancel out Harvey Barnes’ opener less than 15 minutes prior.
|
Elliot Anderson’s performance vs Newcastle |
Number completed |
|
Goals |
1 |
|
Tackles |
1 |
|
Touches |
91 |
|
Accurate passes |
62/74 (84%) |
|
Dribbles (successful) |
2 (1) |
However, Anderson’s future at Nottingham Forest is in doubt, amid interest from Arsenal, Manchester United and Manchester City, and a Serie A star has been identified as a potential replacement.
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Nottingham Forest have already started work on multiple additions ahead of the summer.
