Rangers may be forced to accept ‘cheap’ offer for ‘serious talent’ in January
Rangers need to resolve the future of Bailey Rice to ensure they get full value for money for the 19-year-old.
That is according to ex-Aberdeen, Aston Villa, and Everton chief executive Keith Wyness, speaking exclusively to Football Insider, as Rice’s contract expires at Rangers next summer.
Contract talks between Rice and Rangers have collapsed, meaning the teenager could leave for free next year.
Aston Villa and Sunderland are two Premier League clubs interested in Rice, whilst Championship sides are also in the race for the midfielder.
‘Rangers should have been smarter’ with Bailey Rice
Aberdeen’s former chief Keith Wyness – who served as CEO at Pittodrie between 2000 and 2004, had lengthy spells as the chief of Everton and Aston Villa and now runs a football consultancy advising elite clubs – is adamant that Rice has the talent to succeed at Ibrox.
Speaking on the new edition of Football Insider‘s Inside Track podcast, Wyness believes Rangers would be making a mistake letting Rice leave.
He told Football Insider‘s Inside Track podcast: “Look he’s a homegrown Scottish Glasgow boy. I think he came through the Motherwell academy. He is a serious talent.
“I think he was the youngest ever Rangers player when he came on as a substitute one day. A lot is being spoken about him in terms of talent, and I think he would be the one that has got to move now to try and break into a proper sort of academy situation down in England.
“Then you know get his chances in the first team. Everybody’s told me he’s got the talent. It’s whether he’s got the attitude, and will he really stick in and get it done. But I do think that Rangers may be losing him on the cheap, which would be bad, because that would be a mistake to lose such a young talent for peanuts really compared to what he could be worth.
“But we’ve seen the impact that Ben Gannon-Doak has made on the Scotland team, and yet he never got a chance in the Premier League really. He’s only just coming to get some minutes now.
“Exciting young Scottish players can still make it and I think that this boy is one of those players, and I hope he gets a move, but I think Rangers should have been a bit smarter in the way that they negotiated this deal and protected the talent they’ve got.”
Rangers looking for new duo after key men sacked
Rangers are currently going through a transition period behind the scenes following the sackings of Patrick Stewart and Kevin Thelwell.
The Glasgow club are searching for a new chief executive and sporting director, with an experienced appointment preferred.
Therefore, manager Danny Rohl will take charge of Rangers’ January transfer plans, where the German can start the rebuild of his squad.