Rangers have been told it will cost a record-breaking Scottish Premiership transfer fee if they want to land Lewis Ferguson this summer. The 26-year-old has forged a fearsome reputation in Serie A as captain of Bologna, but the Serie A side now appear willing to part ways if a bidder meets their asking price of £17 million.
McInnes holds the ace in potential swap deal
Derek McInnes would be able to slash any outgoing fee if Bologna follow up their interest in Nico Raskin, as the Belgian appears primed for a potential summer exit. Rangers have been strongly linked with a move for the Scotland international, who impressed at the World Cup despite the nation's group-stage exit.
Ferguson enjoys a strong bond with his former Aberdeen boss McInnes and his close pal and former Ibrox academy team-mate Ross McCrorie has sealed his own return to Rangers this summer.
Bologna bullish over asking price
Bologna are bullish over their asking price, and interest in Ferguson goes beyond the club his uncle Barry represented with distinction during his own playing career. Ferguson boasts suitors from Serie A and the English Premier League, with Bologna poised for a summer of change.
The current Scottish transfer record remains Tore Andre Flo's £12 million switch from Chelsea to Rangers 26 years ago. Rangers' American owners have shown they are willing to spend big money, but a potential deal for Raskin would mitigate the outlay it would take to get Ferguson to Glasgow.
Rangers building a Scottish core
McInnes has already landed McCrorie and Lawrence Shankland, who made his own switch from Hearts to Rangers weeks before his boss followed. There's a belief Rangers, under their new manager's guidance, are seeking a side built with a Scottish core as they aim to arrest a chastening record of only one title in the past 15 seasons.
