Lewis Ferguson reveals burning Rangers transfer desire as Bologna star insists “it will definitely happen
Lewis Ferguson has made an emphatic public declaration of his desire to one day play for Rangers, insisting that a move to Ibrox will happen at some point in the future if the opportunity ever presents itself. The comments, delivered to Italian media, represent some of the clearest and most direct language Ferguson has used yet on the subject of a boyhood dream he’s been open about for some time.
**A boyhood connection running deep**
The Scotland international’s link to Rangers goes back to his childhood, having come through the club’s academy system before being released as a young player — a decision that, by his own family’s account, stung considerably at the time. That early disappointment hasn’t diminished his affection for the club in the years since. If anything, the family’s own deep and storied connections to Ibrox appear to have only strengthened Ferguson’s sense that a return there represents unfinished business.
Both his father Derek and his uncle Barry enjoyed genuinely significant playing careers at Rangers, each collecting major honours during their respective spells at the club. Barry Ferguson, in particular, is remembered as one of the finest midfielders of his generation in Scottish football, captaining Rangers during a period of considerable success and later returning to the club in a coaching capacity, giving him an ongoing voice in discussions around the current Ibrox setup. Derek Ferguson, too, built a respected career in the Scottish game, and it’s that combined family legacy — two close relatives who each experienced life at Ibrox from the inside — that helps explain why a move to Rangers carries such particular resonance for Lewis, beyond simply being another attractive transfer destination.
**A career built through Hamilton and Aberdeen**
Following his release from Rangers as a youngster, Ferguson set about rebuilding his career through the lower and middle tiers of Scottish football, first at Hamilton Academical before moving on to Aberdeen, where his career truly began to take off. It was at Pittodrie that Ferguson first worked under Derek McInnes, the same manager who now finds himself in charge at Rangers, and that relationship appears to have left a lasting impression on both parties.
McInnes has been credited with a genuine admiration for Ferguson stretching back to their time working together at Aberdeen, and that pre-existing relationship adds an extra layer of context to Rangers’ interest in signing him this summer. It isn’t simply a case of the club’s recruitment team identifying a talented midfielder from a distance — this is a manager who has already worked closely with the player, understands his game intimately, and has seen firsthand the qualities of leadership, composure and footballing intelligence that have since made Ferguson such a coveted figure in Italian football. That familiarity mirrors, in some ways, McInnes’ similarly personal connection to another recent Rangers target, left-back James Penrice, whose own move to Ibrox was similarly underpinned by a pre-existing relationship with the manager.
Ferguson’s rise since leaving Scottish football has been considerable. His performances at Aberdeen were strong enough to earn him a move to Italian football, where he’s gone on to establish himself as one of the standout central midfielders in Serie A. He’s since been made captain of Bologna, a role that speaks to the trust and respect he’s earned within the club, and he’s continued to earn regular caps for the Scotland national team throughout this period — cementing his status as a genuinely established international player, rather than simply a promising talent still trying to prove himself at the highest level.
That trajectory — released as a teenager, rebuilding through the Scottish leagues, and eventually captaining a major European club — is precisely the kind of redemption story that tends to resonate deeply with football supporters, and it’s a large part of why the prospect of a Rangers reunion has generated so much attention and goodwill among the Ibrox faithful.
**A definitive answer to Italian media**
Speaking to Italian outlet Corriere dello Sport, Ferguson didn’t hold back when asked directly about the prospect of representing Rangers in the future. He described the club as his favourite team, and stated plainly that he’s always wanted to play for them. While stopping short of putting any concrete timeline on when a move might happen, he expressed total confidence that it would come to pass eventually, should the right opportunity ever arise. It’s a notably unambiguous statement from a player still very much established at a major European club, and one that leaves little doubt about where his long-term footballing heart lies, even amid a thriving career in Italy
Ferguson currently remains under contract at Bologna’s Renato Dall’Ara Stadium until 2028, giving the Italian club considerable security over his services and, by extension, considerable leverage in any negotiation. Bologna are understood to value their captain at a figure in the region of £17 million — a price tag that has already proven a significant obstacle to any deal materialising this summer, following a confirmed approach from Rangers earlier in the transfer window.
That valuation sits well within the range one might expect for a player of Ferguson’s profile: a captain in one of Europe’s most competitive leagues, still inside the prime years of his career, and with full international recognition to his name. For a selling club, letting go of a captain who embodies exactly that kind of profile — proven, experienced, a genuine leader both on and off the pitch — was always likely to come at a significant premium, regardless of any personal desire the player himself might have to leave.
**Derek Ferguson’s pointed criticism of the approach**
That financial reality was central to comments made by Ferguson’s father, Derek, on the Open Goal podcast, in which the former player questioned the logic of Rangers even entering into discussions with Bologna in the first place. He argued that Rangers must have known the fee would fall somewhere between €15 million and €20 million before ever making contact with the Italian club, and suggested that engaging in talks without a realistic prospect of matching that valuation amounted to little more than wasted time and effort on both sides.
Derek Ferguson’s criticism wasn’t solely aimed at the specific Lewis Ferguson pursuit, either — it formed part of a broader assessment of what he sees as a wider pattern in Rangers’ recruitment approach this summer, questioning whether the issue lies with the specific targets McInnes has identified, or with the club’s ability to actually get deals for those targets over the line. His comments suggest a belief that McInnes knows precisely who he wants to bring to Ibrox, but that the process of converting those ambitions into completed transfers has, in his view, been too slow and not always realistic given the financial parameters involved.
On the subject of his own long-term future at Bologna, Ferguson was notably measured, making clear that a contract renewal isn’t something currently occupying his thoughts. He explained that his focus remains squarely on his football, rather than contract talks or matters away from the pitch, adding that if there’s ever something concrete to discuss regarding his future, those conversations can happen when the time is right. That measured, unhurried tone stands in interesting contrast to the emphatic certainty with which he discussed his desire to eventually play for Rangers — suggesting a player who is entirely content to let his contract situation play out naturally, rather than actively agitating for a transfer in the short term.
**A genuine love for life in Italy**
Despite his stated desire to one day return to Rangers, Ferguson was equally clear about how much his time in Italy has come to mean to him personally, and it’s worth dwelling on this in some detail, since it adds important nuance to the overall picture. He described Glasgow — the city where he grew up — as his first home, but said he’d felt an immediate sense of welcome from everyone in Bologna since his move there, to the point that the city has genuinely become a second home to him.
That connection runs considerably deeper than football alone. Ferguson revealed that his family has put down real, lasting roots in Italy, with his second daughter having been born in Bologna during his time at the club. He and his family chose to give her the Italian name Lorena — a deliberate and deeply personal choice, made in honour of his sister Lauren, who passed away before Ferguson himself was born. That detail underlines just how significant his time in Italy has become for him and his family on a personal level, quite apart from any footballing considerations, and it complicates any simple narrative of a player simply biding his time before an inevitable return to Scotland.
**Balancing two competing loyalties**
What emerges from Ferguson’s various comments, taken together, is a picture of a player genuinely torn between two places he considers home. On one hand, there’s the pull of family legacy, boyhood support, and a stated, unambiguous desire to one day wear the Rangers jersey — a sentiment made all the more powerful given his father and uncle’s own history at the club. On the other, there’s a settled, contented life in Bologna, where he’s not just a key player but the club captain, where his career has flourished since leaving Scotland, and where his family has built genuinely deep personal roots, symbolised by his daughter’s name.
That tension is likely to keep this story running for as long as both situations remain unresolved. There’s no obvious pressure on Ferguson to force a move, given his contract runs until 2028 and he’s clearly settled and successful at Bologna. Equally, there’s no indication Bologna are under any pressure to sell a player as important to their squad as their own captain, particularly not without receiving a fee that reflects his value.
For Rangers, the situation leaves them in a position of watching and waiting rather than actively pursuing an imminent deal. Having already tested the waters with an approach earlier in the summer, only to find Bologna’s valuation considerably higher than the club appeared willing to meet, Rangers’ path to actually completing a Ferguson transfer looks limited in the current window. Whether that changes closer to the 2028 expiry of his contract, when Bologna’s negotiating position would naturally weaken, remains to be seen.
For now, though, Ferguson’s comments offer something valuable to Rangers supporters even without a transfer materialising: a clear, public, unprompted statement from one of Scottish football’s most talented and respected midfielders that Ibrox remains his ultimate footballing destination. Given the strength of his family ties to the club, his stated admiration for working under McInnes previously at Aberdeen, and his own unambiguous comments about wanting to play there eventually, the story of a potential Lewis Ferguson return to Rangers looks set to remain a recurring and closely followed subplot for as long as his contract situation in Italy, and Rangers’ ability to eventually meet Bologna’s valuation, remain unresolved.
