'Clear to see': Derek Ferguson hopes Rangers will hi-jack £2.5m bid for Callum McGregor's 'carbon copy'
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There was once a time when a move to the Old Firm – whether it be Rangers or Celtic – felt like the natural next step for the best young talent in Scottish football.
But no longer, perhaps.
Thanks to the success of Aaron Hickey, Josh Doig and particularly Bologna captain Lewis Ferguson – not to mention Napoli’s Scudetto-chasing duo Billy Gilmour and Scott McTominay – the best homegrown talent to emerge out of Scotland are starting to skip the Old Firm in favour of fast-tracking their development in one of Europe’s major leagues instead.
Motherwell wonderkid Lennon Miller may do the same, Gers icon Kris Boyd feels.
Rangers have scouted the Scotland Under-21 international regularly. The opening bid has arrived not from Ibrox, however, but from Italy.
Udinese, presumably hoping that they can emulate the success of Bologna when taking Ferguson away from Aberdeen, reportedly submitted an offer of £2.5 million for Lennon Miller this week.
Derek Ferguson warns Rangers not to miss out on Motherwell’s Lennon Miller
Now, Lewis Ferguson’s uncle – the former Rangers forward Derek Ferguson – dropped quite the bombshell as the chase for Miller’s signature heats up.
Ferguson claims that his nephew recommended Miller to Bologna when asked to advise on Scotland’s next generation of young talent.
And while he is not giving up on the youngest skipper in Motherwell’s history following in his Ibrox footsteps, the two-time Scottish Premiership champion is concerned that the ship is about to raise anchor and exit the harbour as far as Rangers are concerned.
“I think, at the start of the season, there was a conversation between Lewis and some of the officials at Bologna, and he mentioned Lennon,” Ferguson reveals.
“I’ve been watching him for a couple of years. [His talent] is clear to see. Why are [Rangers] not going to get him?”
They still might, of course.
Technical director Nils Koppen insists that Ibrox will always be home to the finest local-based talent. For instance, Rangers are pursuing Dundee starlet Lyall Cameron in the hope of securing another, Connor Barron-style bargain.
But if Rangers cannot afford the £2.5 million required to sign Marko Soldo from Croatian outfit NK Osijek – as Rangers News exclusively revealed last week – then Koppen and co can do little but sit and wait in the hope that Miller is still up for grabs when the summer rolls around.
Both Ferguson and one-time Rangers attacker Gordon Dalziel feel that Motherwell should be holding out for much more than the sum put forward by Udinese.
“[Miller is worth more than £2.5 million] all day long,” Dalziel responds. “£2.5 million is not even a starter, let’s be honest about it, for an 18-year-old boy with the talent that he’s got. £2.5 million? There’s absolutely no chance. The boy is only going to get better.”
Motherwell captain labelled a ‘carbon copy’ of Callum McGregor
Despite only turning 18 last summer, Miller is already closing in on 50 Premiership appearances.
One of the most intelligent and technically gifted midfielders in the competition, Open Goal host Si Ferry labels Miller a ‘carbon copy’ of Celtic captain Callum McGregor. In addition to his six league assists this season, Miller’s ball-winning statistics also make for pretty impressive reading.
Yet, with Barron, Nico Raskin and Mohamed Diomande already at Ibrox, there is an argument to be made that Rangers would benefit more from a midfielder of Lyall Cameron’s ilk.
Diomande is the only one of that trio to hit the net this term. Cameron, scorer of eight goals for Dundee in 2024/25, would bring the sort of box-crashing dynamism currently lacking in Philippe Clement’s squad.
Ex-Scotland international James McFadden, meanwhile, agrees with Boyd when he suggests that a footballer of Miller’s ambition and maturity may prefer to broaden his horizons and take the Lewis Ferguson route towards prominance.
“Sometimes, young players come through in Scotland and they think; ‘Right, Celtic and Rangers, that is the pinnacle. If I get there, brilliant’,” McFadden explains. “I don’t think [Miller] is like that.
“I think he’s like, ‘Where is the best place for me to play, progress, experience different things, be successful’.
“Udinese have jumped in because they’re thinking ‘let’s try and get in before the rest’.”
