Rangers exploring deal for signing no.3 after McCrorie

Glasgow Rangers aren’t hanging around this summer, it would seem, intent on building an experienced, Scottish core under new boss Derek McInnes.

McInnes’ arrival felt like a long time coming, as was also the case for his former skipper at Tynecastle, Lawrence Shankland, the 30-year-old making a belated, surprise move after having been heavily linked with the switch last summer.

The Scotland striker has set the tone what is to follow in the window for the Gers, with McInnes and co closing a deal to re-sign 28-year-old defender, Ross McCrorie, five years on from his Ibrox exit.

Like Shankland, McCrorie is no stranger to the 54-year-old’s methods, having worked under him at Aberdeen, with the versatile full-back having become Rangers’ second summer signing.

A third incoming has been mooted for another man with Gers and Dons connections, Lewis Ferguson, although he isn’t the only midfielder on the radar as things stand.

Rangers exploring deal to sign Lewis Ferguson alternative

Steve Clarke’s men look to be heading for a cruel, swift exit from this summer’s World Cup, although Ferguson has acquitted himself well in the centre of the park, seizing his chance following Billy Gilmour’s pre-tournament injury blow.

The 26-year-old’s group stage displays may have only ramped up the clamour for a reunion with McInnes, with it yet to be seen what the future holds for him at Bologna.

Reports have suggested that with the Serie A side keen on signing Nicolas Raskin, there could be something of a swap involving Ferguson, although it is not clear whether the Italian outfit would actually sanction a sale, nor quite how costly that deal would be.

With Raskin’s future lying elsewhere, regardless, midfield additions are imperative at Ibrox, be that Ferguson or others, with journalist Ben Jacobs suggesting that the Old Firm side could revive their interest in Dan Neil.

As per Jacobs, the Light Blues are again exploring a deal for the 24-year-old, having previously been in the conversation in January, prior to the Englishman’s loan move to Ipswich Town.

Neil is now set to be available on a free transfer ahead of his imminent exit from parent club Sunderland, with Hull City and West Ham United also in the mix for his signature.

Why Neil could be Ferguson 2.0 for McInnes

It would be a fitting move for Ferguson to return to Ibrox, with the playmaker having been released by the club at the age of just 14, prior to building a fruitful career for himself at Hamilton, Aberdeen and now Bologna.

Should Raskin depart for a sizeable fee as suggested, the experienced Scot would be a more than worthy replacement, not least due to his prior relationship with McInnes and his previous success at Pittodrie.

And yet, amid suggestions that he could command more than £12m, this still feels like something of an unlikely deal, even if Ferguson remains the dream target.

With that in mind, moving for Neil could then be an astute move, with Football Transfers notably suggesting that Ferguson is the most statistically and stylistically similar player to the Sunderland man in Europe.

There’s no denying that it has been a difficult 12 months for the Englishman at the Stadium of Light, almost immediately cast aside by manager Regis Le Bris, following the club’s promotion back to the Premier League.

It had been Neil who steered the Black Cats to promotion as captain in 2024/25, however, racking up 44 appearances in the Championship that season, all of which came from the start.

Evidently a leader in the dressing room – much like Ferguson at Bologna – due to his status as skipper, Neil is a composed and controlled figure in front of the back four, dictating proceedings in his number eight or number six berth.

In that 2024/25 season, for instance, he scored and assisted five goals, created four ‘big chances’ and averaged an 84% pass accuracy rate, albeit with his best work perhaps coming in a defensive sense.

Indeed, he does mirror Ferguson in having a real workmanlike quality to his game, averaging 2.9 tackles and interceptions and 5.7 ball recoveries that year.

For comparison, in his best season at Bologna in 2023/24, in which he was voted Serie A midfielder of the year, Ferguson was averaging 1.7 tackles and interceptions, alongside 4.6 ball recoveries.

Neither man necessarily steals the headlines, but they have been integral to the success of their respective clubs in recent seasons, even if 2025/26 proved rather muted for both.

The prospect of the pair lining up together at Ibrox is a truly exciting one, after so much churn in Rangers’ midfield department of late, yet if the club are priced out of a deal for Ferguson, then just landing Neil on a free transfer would be a coup in itself.