Lewis Ferguson ‘Willing to Join Rangers’ as Dad Goes Public With Transfer Stance
Lewis Ferguson has made his clearest public statement yet on his Rangers future, telling Italian outlet Corriere dello Sport that a move to Ibrox will “definitely happen” if the opportunity ever arises — while his father Derek has been equally forthright in explaining, in blunter terms, why he thinks Rangers’ interest hasn’t gone anywhere so far.
Asked directly whether he could envisage playing for Rangers one day, the Bologna captain didn’t hedge. He said Rangers is his favourite team, that he’s always said he wants to play for them, and that while he doesn’t know when it might happen, he’s confident it will happen eventually if the chance comes his way. It’s about as unambiguous a statement of intent as a player under contract elsewhere can make without causing a rift with his current club.
That confidence is rooted in genuine family history at Ibrox. Ferguson’s father Derek played for Rangers, and his uncle Barry captained the club through one of its most successful modern eras, lifting major domestic silverware during his time there. Lewis himself came through Rangers’ own youth ranks before being released at 13, joining Hamilton Academical and eventually breaking through at Aberdeen — where, notably, he worked under Derek McInnes, now Rangers’ current manager, adding an extra layer of familiarity to any prospective reunion.
While his son’s comments leaned hopeful, Derek Ferguson’s own remarks on the Open Goal podcast struck a far more skeptical tone about the practicalities. He questioned openly whether Rangers’ summer approach had been a waste of time, pointing out that Bologna’s valuation — reportedly sitting between €15 million and €20 million — was always going to be beyond what Rangers could realistically stretch to. He asked pointedly why the club had bothered going down that route at all if the price was always out of reach, while adding that he hoped a move would happen “somewhere down the line.”
That skepticism isn’t new from within the Ferguson camp. Uncle Barry, a former Rangers captain and manager himself, has said he doubts a move will happen any time soon given the fee involved, admitting he isn’t sure Rangers could afford what Bologna would demand. He’s said he would love to see his nephew at Ibrox one day, framing it as a chance to correct what he sees as a missed opportunity when Ferguson first left Scotland for Italy years ago — but he’s stopped short of predicting it will actually happen soon.
Ferguson remains under contract at Bologna until 2028, and the Serie A club have reportedly valued their captain at as much as £17 million — comfortably above what Rangers have shown they can commit to in recent windows. That gap in valuation versus affordability is the central obstacle running through every version of this story, regardless of how willing either the player or his boyhood club might be in principle.
It’s also worth noting that reports earlier in the year suggested talks between the clubs were expected to take place after the conclusion of both parties’ World Cup commitments, with Ferguson said to be keen to speak with Rangers about a potential move back to Scotland — indicating this interest has been building for some time rather than emerging suddenly.
What’s striking is how openly this entire situation has played out in public, through named, on-record family interviews rather than the usual anonymous transfer-market briefings. Between Lewis’s own emphatic vow, his father’s blunt commentary on the economics of the pursuit, and his uncle’s wistful but doubtful outlook, the Ferguson family has essentially conducted its own extended, multi-voice press conference on the subject over recent months.
None of it points to an imminent transfer. Ferguson remains contracted, valued well above Rangers’ evident spending ceiling, and by his own admission uncertain of timing. But his own words — “it will definitely happen” — leave little doubt about where his heart lies, even if his head, and his father’s, appear to accept the deal may be some way off yet.
