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Pete O'Rourke, Transfer Correspondent

Sun 10 May 2026 18:30, UK

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Bailey Rice is set to leave Rangers this summer and Aston Villa are among the Premier League sides interested in signing him.

Rice has spent the majority of this season sidelined with a knee injury and is on course to leave Ibrox when his contract expires at the end of this month.

The 19-year-old midfielder has not lived up to his lofty potential at Rangers over the last few years, but several Premier League sides think they can get the best out of him beyond this summer.

As I revealed on the latest edition of Football Insider’s Transfer Insider podcast, Villa are being rivalled by Nottingham Forest and Crystal Palace for his signature.

It remains to be seen if he is part of Villa’s transfer plans, with Rangers due a compensation fee from whichever club he joins next.

Aston Villa battling Premier League rivals for Bailey Rice signing

Rice’s sole first-team appearance this season came during a 4-2 Premier Sports Cup win over Alloa back in August, as he was deployed in an unfamiliar left-back role by Russell Martin.

The teenage talent will not sign a new contract at Ibrox and is being eyed by several top clubs across Europe alongside that Premier League trio.

Speaking on the Transfer Insider podcast, I explained: “There are clubs willing to take that gamble on Rice. He’s been talked about for a long time now and is a very highly regarded player in Scotland.

“It does seem more than likely that he will leave Ibrox as a free agent this summer when his contract expires, which will be a big blow for Rangers.

“There have been suggestions that the likes of Nottingham Forest, Aston Villa and Crystal Palace are all ready to offer Rice the opportunity to move down to England to continue his career.

“He’s got huge potential and that’s probably why you’ve got this interest in him from the Premier League because they see their potential and they’ll be hoping that they can tap into that and bring out the best in him.”

Villa want Jonathan David but need Leeds to fail in Lois Openda move

Unai Emery also wants to sign a new striker this summer following Ollie Watkins’ inconsistent form in front of goal this season.

They will be keeping a keen eye on current events at Juventus, as Openda is closely linked with a move to Leeds while they track David’s availability.

Sources have told Football Insider that Villa need Leeds to miss out on Openda so that they can sign Canadian frontman David this summer.

He has registered eight goals and five assists in 44 games this season and is set to star for his country at the World Cup next month.