Rangers are facing a fresh battle to hold onto one of their players this summer, with Nottingham Forest registering their interest in him.
The Light Blues may have to spend significant time fighting off interest in their best academy products this window, with multiple teenagers attracting attention from clubs across England as Andrew Cavenagh‘s rebuild gathers momentum.
Calum Adamson has become a wanted man south of the border after his loan spell at Alloa Athletic, as the likes of Nottingham Forest and Crystal Palace vie for his services.
The latest development suggests that the battle will not be restricted to just Adamson, with Forest now firmly in the picture for a player Rangers will be desperate to keep.
Nottingham’s interest represents a significant test of the club’s resolve to protect their academy pipeline heading into what promises to be a pivotal season at Ibrox.
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Nottingham Forest target Bailey Rice in summer raid
According to the Daily Mail, Nottingham Forest have added Bailey Rice to their summer transfer shortlist, with behind-the-scenes discussions already taking place as the Premier League club’s hierarchy weigh up a formal approach.
Rice has already earned two caps for Scotland Under-21s, and his performances at club level have attracted admirers from across the British game for some time.
Forest’s emergence as serious suitors now places him firmly in the Premier League conversation.
The company Rice is keeping on the Nottinghamshire outfit’s shortlist underlines just how far his reputation has travelled, as he features alongside Celtic’s Arne Engels, who they bid £26million for in January, and a host of targets from across Europe.
In April, Fabrizio Romano reported that Rice has options to join Schalke or Ajax this summer, as his existing deal with Rangers runs out at the end of June.
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What Rangers must do
Cavenagh has made the development of homegrown Scottish talent a cornerstone of his vision, but Forest’s interest is a reminder that good intentions must be backed by decisive action in the contract room.
Rice is exactly the kind of player Rangers should be building around, and losing him to a Premier League club would be a significant failure of that vision.
Fortunately for Danny Rohl and Co., Rice has dropped a hint that he might be staying in Glasgow after all, as he is currently working in Spain to attain full fitness ahead of the pre-season camp in Auchenhowie.
