Kilmarnock target Rangers midfielder for loan as clubs hope to replicate Findlay Curtis success
The latest Rangers transfer news with a Scottish Premiership rival eyeing a deal for a player recently linked with Leeds United and Aston Villa.
It has been a whirlwind 24 hours at Rangers with Danny Rohl leaving the club to take charge at Austrian club Red Bull Salzburg and Hearts boss Derek McInnes arriving to replace him.
With the managerial situation now sorted at Ibrox they can get back to strengthening their first team squad with the summer transfer window officially open. McInnes will be reunited with his former Tynecastle captain Lawrence Shankland who had already made a headline grabbing move which supporters will hope is the first of many over the next few months.
It wont just be about players coming in though and the new manager may look to move some current stars on either permanently or on loan. After the success that winger Findlay Curtis has with Kilmarnock next season it now looks like we could see another Rangers prospect heading to Rugby Park to further his development.
Kilmarnock target Rangers midfielder for loan after success of Findlay Curtis spell
A report from the Daily Record claims that Kilmarnock are interested in taking Rangers midfielder Bailey Rice on loan for the 2026/27 season. The 19-year-old is set to be out of contract at Ibrox but is reportedly set to agree a new deal despite plenty of rumoured transfer interest.
English Premier League sides Leeds United and Aston Villa were both credited with keeping an eye on Rice’s situation. However, it looks like the Scotland under 21 international will be staying at Rangers and now potentially making a temporary switch to Ayrshire.
It is said that Killie gaffer Neil McCann, he former Rangers winger who also served as a first team coach under interim manager Barry Ferguson last year, is ‘plotting’ a move for the midfielder. It’s easy to see why all parties could see the move as beneficial, especially after Findlay Curtis’ development at Rugby Park last season.
The winger was so impressive during his short stint with Kilmarnock that he earned a call up to Steve Clarke’s Scotland squad for the FIFA World Cup finals in North America. He featured off their bench in their 1-0 opening match win over Haiti and Rangers supporters will be hoping he returns from the tournament ready to have an impact on the first team picture at Ibrox.
Rangers midfielder poised to fulfil potential after injury issues
Rice looked on track for a breakthrough season with Rangers last campaign but a knee injury early in the season would end up ruling him out for most of the campaign. He had made 12 first team appearances during the 2024/25 season including in the UEFA Europa League against Manchester United and Nice.
The Scotland youth international, who has represented his country from under 16 up to under 21 level, was snapped up by Rangers from Motherwell’s youth academy. He signed his first professional contract in 2023 and made his first team debut in February that year when he came off the bench in a 3-0 win away to Livingston as an 88th minute replacement for Glen Kamara.
He made two further Scottish Premiership appearances in the 2024/25 season, both as a late substitute, against Motherwell and St Mirren. He received his first call up to the Scotland under 21 squad in March last year and has been capped twice at that level.
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