Barry Ferguson claims it's 'no secret' Rangers transfer target will end up at Ibrox
Today at 09:51 AM
Kenny McLean is one those names that has cropped up in transfer window after transfer window.
Rangers have often been linked to the former St Mirren and Aberdeen midfielder, who has recently turned himself into a Scotland first XI regular after years on the bench.
A move to Ibrox finally seemed almost certain to go through in the summer window just past but he ended up staying put at Norwich after winning their player of the year award for the 2023-24 season.
But the 32-year-old is a diehard bluenose and has openly admitted his desire to turn out for the club one day, so it could still happen.
Kenny McLean to Rangers ‘no secret’
McLean is contracted to the Canaries until 2026, so taking him up to when he is 34. They also hold the option for an extra year.
That would appear to limit the chances of the former Gers academy player one day returning to the club he loves.
But Barry Ferguson reckons it is well known that he will one day pull on the blue of Rangers.
Speaking on the Go Radio Football Show, Fergie said: "He's learned a lot since his younger days at St Mirren before going to Aberdeen.
“I think he's come on leaps and bounds since going down to England.
Asked if he things McLean will one day play for Rangers, he added: "There's no secret of that.
“There was a lot of talk in the summer, and I mentioned that it's an area of the pitch that Rangers need experience.
“Especially the last two games for Scotland, he stood out."
What McLean has said about playing for Rangers
“I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t something I’d want to do,” McLean told the Athletic in 2021. “As a kid that’s what you want to do, play for your boyhood team. Right now, I’m about to play in the Premier League again, so I’m not thinking about it
“But for me and my family, it would be pretty special. I grew up a Rangers fan, used to go to the games with my dad and as a kid in Glasgow, you support Rangers or Celtic and you want to play for one of them. So, I was on the better side.”
His dream looked set to become reality in the summer but it didn’t materialise.
But how close did he come to signing for Philippe Clement and Rangers?
McLean was quizzed about that in the summer and told the Norwich Evening News: "I don't think that I need to speak too much on it, to be honest, in terms of if it's true or not. It isn't affecting me at all.
"I'm here, I want to be here and I'll continue to be here. I'm looking forward to Oxford.
“I've always had a good relationship with the fans and I'll continue that for the next couple of years. I hope [the contract] does speak volumes.
“It was a pretty similar situation last year when there was talk and I committed my future to the football club. The football club also committed to me. I don't see why that would change."
