Bailey Rice has been spotted training in Spain as he nears the end of his contract at Rangers.
The 19-year-old is rated highly by those within Ibrox, but faces an uncertain future in Glasgow as he is set to become a free agent.
Fabrizio Romano reported in April that Rice is considering his options after being approached by Schalke and Ajax for potential free transfers.
There have also been suggestions that the midfielder is leaning towards departing Rangers amid further interest from Watford.
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Rangers still in talks with Rice
However, there is a feeling that Rice may have changed his mind on leaving Rangers after he was spotted training in Spain with former Aberdeen player Ashton Taylor.
The ex-defender, who now runs NXT Level Lab, revealed that he worked in tandem with the Gers backroom staff to help the teenager regain full fitness.
Taylor added that Rice is now focusing on building momentum ahead of a pre-season with the rest of Danny Rohl‘s squad, raising hope that he has already agreed to a new deal at Rangers.
However, those suggestions are wide of the mark, according to Chris Jack.
The journalist clarified that the Govan club have already made a contract offer to Rice, but the player is yet to sign on the dotted lines, with discussions still ongoing.
Speaking on the Rangers Review’s Morning Briefing, he said: “As of yesterday [Sunday] morning, the contract remains on the table and remains unsigned.
“Rangers have not had any firm confirmation that Bailey Rice will sign the contract that is there. We’d reported that they were still in talks and that those talks were continuing. That is the state of play.”
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Rice has no future under Rohl
It is evident that the Rangers hierarchy appreciate Rice and would like him to stay at the club beyond this summer.
However, in reality, the Scotland Under-19 international faces an uphill battle to force his way into Rohl’s first-team plans.
Rice would find himself behind Tochi Chukwuani and Connor Barron even if Mohamed Diomande and Nicolas Raskin were to leave.
With Andrew Cavenagh also expected to add one or two midfielders to the mix, the Scot would find playing time hard to come by next season.
If he were to stay at the Premiership club, it is likely that he would leave on loan next season.
