Rangers transfer chain reaction could beckon as star wanted by European club who hold rumoured Ibrox target

Rangers are bracing themselves for major interest in Connor Barron, with the midfielder understood to be of interest to several clubs on the continent. Barron, 23, arrived on a pre-contract agreement from Aberdeen two summers ago, and has made 83 appearances for the club, while he has also broken into the Scotland senior team during his time at Ibrox, making his international debut in a 4-0 win over Liechtenstein last June. Sign up to The Scotsman’s daily football newsletter to get unrivalled Scottish football news and analysis - subscribe for free here. New Rangers head coach Derek McInnes has significantly strengthened his midfield options this month, with the arrival of former Hearts midfielder Cammy Devlin and ex-Sunderland captain Dan Neil, while they are also believed to be making progress in their quest to bring Serbia international Vanja Dragojevic in a deal from Partizan Belgrade, leaving Barron’s future in question. As per a report from Sky Sports, Italian duo Bologna and Lazio are keeping tabs on Barron and are mulling over an offer for him, while Bundesliga side Eintracht Frankfurt are also in the mix for the player, who has two years left to run on the deal he signed when he first joined Rangers in the summer of 2024. The interest from Bologna makes for particularly interesting reading, with the Italian side having already shown interest in Barron’s midfield teammate Nico Raskin, and Rangers reported interest in a deal for Scotland international and I Rossoblu captain Lewis Ferguson in recent weeks. Son of former Rangers man Derek Ferguson and nephew of popular ex-Ibrox captain Barry Ferguson, the 26-year-old played under McInnes during the pair’s time at Aberdeen, and he is strongly linked with a return to the Scottish Premiership in recent weeks, with Rangers refusing to rule out interest in a transfer by saying. “All I want to do is bring players who have a high level, technical level, and ability to play for Rangers,” said McInnes last week. “There are a number of players that have been linked with us that do possess that, so I think it would be wrong for me to speak about any player individually. I understand it’s an obvious link [with Lewis Ferguson], but we have just got to work away and see what we can do and what we can bring into the club.” Contracted until the summer of 2028, Bologna have significant leverage in any negotiations and are under no pressure to sell. Interested parties have been informed that they expect a claimed fee of at least £17million to allow him to depart. However, a potential deal involving Raskin going in the opposite direction has been mooted, with the supposed interest in Barron adding fuel to that particular fire. Recently relegated EFL Championship side West Ham United are also keeping tabs on Barron, with manager Nuno Espirito Santo said to be looking to strengthen his midfield following Mateus Fernandes’ £85million move to rivals Tottenham Hotspur earlier this month. The Hammers recently appointed former Rangers technical director Nils Koppen as their director of player recruitment. According to a report from Hayters, they are keen on bringing Barron to West London as they aim to win an immediate promotion back to the English Premier League, although it is also claimed that Rangers are not actively seeking to move the player on, and would like to retain his services if possible.