Lewis Ferguson's father Derek has branded Rangers' pursuit of the Bologna midfielder a "waste of f****** time", insisting the Ibrox club cannot afford the player's price tag.
Rangers' Interest and Price Tag
Rangers have approached the Italian side over a deal, with a player-plus-cash offer floated that would see Connor Barron move to Bologna alongside a £17million fee. However, the Bologna captain, who is valued between €15million and €20million, appears to be a key figure for new boss Domenico Tedesco, whose assistant Andrea Tarozzi has described the playmaker as "fundamental" to the club.
Derek Ferguson's Criticism
Speaking to Open Goal, Derek Ferguson accused Rangers' recruitment chiefs of being "too slow" to bring in the players manager Derek McInnes wants. He said: "See when he [Derek McInnes] got put in the position as manager, I thought 'are we going to be silky and great to watch? No, but we are going to win'. We will be organised, we will be physical, and we will be at it."
Asked why that has not been the case, he added: "Is it the personnel? Is it the recruitment? He has obviously wanted certain players in the door and I think he has not got them. I think they are slow. Instead of just going to get them, they have not been able to do that."
'Waste of Time' Conversation
On the Lewis Ferguson link, he said: "See that think with Lewis? Was that not a waste of f****** time? A waste of time, having the conversation and all that? Because, they must have know the price - between €15million and €20million - Rangers can't go that far for a player. So why did they f****** go down that route? Hopefully that will happen somewhere down the line, but I thought that was a waste of time."
The Bologna skipper has featured regularly in pre-season under Tedesco following a successful World Cup with Scotland, with Atalanta reportedly also interested in the 26-year-old.
