Rangers have held talks with Serie A side Bologna over a deal to sign midfielder Lewis Ferguson, according to Chris Jack.

The Ibrox club have already undergone a major summer of change, with Danny Rohl leaving for RB Salzburg and being replaced by Derek McInnes, while James Tavernier and Jack Butland have departed, and the club have brought in Lawrence Shankland, Ross McCrorie, Ivor Pandur, Ben Godfrey, and Dan Neil following another trophyless campaign.

But McInnes is desperate to add some more leadership to his squad and wants a Scottish core, and has now targeted a move to bring in someone very popular within the Ibrox walls.

Rangers Eyeing Lewis Ferguson Deal

Ferguson, who has been described as ‘incredible’, was a regular at Aberdeen before making the move to Italy, where he has become the captain of Bologna in his four years at the club and helped them to lift their first trophy in 51 years last season. He was also crowned Serie A midfielder of the year in the 2023/24 season.

He also played every single minute of Scotland’s disappointing World Cup campaign under Steve Clarke this summer, and it’s understood that the midfield star is very open to a move to Rangers and back to his homeland.

Ferguson is well known at Ibrox, with his uncle being legendary midfielder Barry Ferguson, while his father, Derek, also played for the club during 1983 and 1990.

Speaking on the Rangers Review show, journalist Chris Jack revealed that Rangers are keen to bring him to Ibrox as part of their big rebuild this summer, and says that exploratory talks have already been held over a deal.

“Lewis Ferguson: Rangers held initial talks, opened discussions with Bologna a few weeks ago,” he said.

“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.”

Ferguson Would Be Huge Statement Signing

Rangers know that the last two campaigns have simply not been good enough, and fans have been demanding major changes now for a while.

McInnes’ arrival has signalled their intent, and they have been active early in the window too as a result. But the potential arrival of Ferguson would not only be the cherry on top of the cake, but it would also be the foundation of a potentially title-winning team.

At 26 he is entering the absolute peak of his powers, and as someone with such a strong connection to the club, he will immediately understand the pressures and demands that come with it. It’s the perfect deal to start a new era at Ibrox, and Rangers should be doing all they can to ensure they can get it over the line.

Tottenham Hotspur may have agreed to sign Mateus Fernandes and Sandro Tonali in deals worth £185m, but they’re not done strengthening their squad yet.

The north London club have been incredibly active in the transfer window so far, completing moves to bring in Andy Robertson, Marco Senesi, Martin Dubravka, and Jan Paul van Hecke, while they have agreed to pay £85m for West Ham’s Fernandes and £100m for Newcastle’s Tonali to strengthen their midfield.

But after also agreeing a £50m deal to allow Luka Vuskovic to depart this summer, Roberto De Zerbi is looking at other areas of the pitch that he wants to strengthen, as more exits are anticipated.

Tottenham Eyeing Man City Star Trafford

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According to The Independent’s Miguel Delaney, Tottenham are showing a strong interest in Man City and England goalkeeper James Trafford this summer.

Trafford, who has been described as ‘world-class’, moved to Man City last summer from Burnley but quickly found himself as the number two after the club completed a deal for Gianluigi Donnarumma in the same window. That has left Trafford disappointed, and he is now keen to leave to establish himself as a number one elsewhere.

Tottenham are expecting Guglielmo Vicario to leave permanently during the window, while Antonin Kinsky has signed a new long-term contract with the promise of competing for a place as the number one goalkeeper.

But Spurs are now eyeing a move for the 23-year-old to bring some ‘authority’ to the position, with Dubravka well aware that he has been signed as a back-up option from Burnley.

Trafford and Kinsky would compete for the number one role, with Spurs ready to bring in a new goalkeeper if the right option become available.

Trafford Could Be Long-Term No.1

via Reuters

Kinsky’s future at the club looked to be dead and buried when Igor Tudor hooked him in the opening minutes of the defeat to Atletico Madrid in the Champions League, but he battled back to claim his place in the side for the end-of-season run-in and made some huge saves to keep them in the Premier League.

Now he looks set to be the number one, but it’s no surprise that there are some doubts over whether he is good enough, and Trafford would provide a more than reasonable and safe alternative in his position.

If the fee is reasonable, then bringing in a 6ft 5 goalkeeper who is very good with the ball at his feet too won’t be looked at as a bad thing, and would give the manager real options to choose from.

Former United States international Alexi Lalas has posted a tweet, which has since gone viral, involving Argentina’s Lionel Messi after Folarin Balogun was sent off in the USMNT’s 2-0 win over Bosnia-Herzegovina on Wednesday.

Balogun was controversially shown a straight red card, following a VAR review, for a foul on defender Tarik Muharemovic.

A VAR expert has since cast a strong verdict over the decision, explaining why this was “not a red card offence”. It’s also alleged that a VAR protocol was broken with the review that led to Balogun’s dismissal.

USMNT head coach Mauricio Pochettino described the incident as a “normal action in football that happened by accident”. The Argentine added: “It’s never intentional. That is why for me it’s never a red card.”

Pochettino will now be without Balogun, USA’s top scorer at this summer’s World Cup with three goals, for the last 16 clash against Belgium. There’s also a risk that FIFA will choose to extend the forward’s punishment if the USMNT progress further in the tournament.

Alexi Lalas Highlights Messi Incident After Balogun Red Card

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Outspoken FOX Sports pundit Alexi Lalas, who represented his country on 96 occasions between 1991-1998, posted a tweet with a clip of a similar incident involving Messi during Argentina’s opening World Cup match against Algeria, alongside the caption: “‘Sup”.

Messi escaped punishment for a foul on Algeria defender Aissa Mandi, although some fans and pundits alike were convinced a red card should have been issued to the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner, who currently leads the race for the World Cup Golden Boot award with France’s Kylian Mbappe on six goals.

On Balogun’s red card, Lalas said on FOX Sports: “That is not a red card. I understand that in the moment it looks bad, and when you see it on video it looks bad. But you have to have a feel and understanding of what’s going on. I thought it was a crap call.” He added:

Taylor Twellman, another former US international, followed suit, asking FIFA why Messi’s foul wasn’t reviewed by VAR.

The reason why Balogun was sent off but Messi was not is because the USMNT star’s challenge was deemed a “serious foul”. Messi’s challenge on Mandi was not perceived in the same way, despite the similarities of the two incidents.