So at long last we finally have a claim from a (fairly) reputable source. One that reveals Rangers have indeed approached Bologna to try to secure Lewis Ferguson.
Chris Jack has made the claim via his Rangers Review platform that the club approached Bologna around the time Derek McInnes became manager, and sought a lay of the land.
He said:
“Lewis Ferguson: Rangers held initial talks, opened discussions with Bologna a few weeks ago. But just an exploration, just to see where everyone stood. They are aware of the financials of that deal, what it’s going to cost for a transfer fee, and what it would cost in terms of wages.”
This isn’t confirmation, it is a claim, but it is a very realistic one, and it’s abundantly clear that Ferguson would cost big money.
The player himself is said to be on only around £20,000 a week in Italy, which is absolutely within Rangers’ budget. But the fee the Serie A side would want is the huge sticking point.
Rangers are absolutely not going to spend the big numbers Bologna would want, which is around the region of £25M.
This is why there’s been speculation that there could be a swap deal involving Nicolas Raskin, which would suit many parties. The question is whether Raskin himself would want to switch to Bologna. The idea was only of course posited itself by Rangers man Ian McCall who wondered if that was a way Rangers could make a move for Ferguson work.
The clickbait press ran with it and it’s made its way into being ‘content’.
But what’s Rangers’ budget here?
It’s generally believed Rangers would be willing to go up to £15M. Smashing the transfer record set for Flo all those years ago. But that’s not enough for Bologna so there would have to be sweeteners. Maybe such as a huge sell-on clause and bonus payments. Maybe even a player or two included in the pot.
Essentially, as things stand, financially unless the Italians budge a bit, and the player makes it clear to them he wants Rangers, it’s a deal not happening.
As Jack said, albeit kind of stating the obvious, Rangers know what they’re up against. It’s now up to the club to cobble together a deal that works without being unreasonable to Rangers.
That is, Ferguson is worth the £25M, and Rangers can afford it, but cannot justify it. They also cannot fall foul of FFP regulations.
So something will have to be negotiated to make this work.
Watch this space.