NafisaAs Rangers continue shaping their plans for the Derek McInnes era, attention has naturally focused on potential arrivals, transfer targets and the wider rebuild expected to take place at Ibrox over the coming months.
The summer window often brings uncertainty for clubs across Europe, but it can be equally important when it comes to retaining talent already inside the building.
For Rangers, protecting some of their most promising young assets has become a key objective as the new management team begins laying foundations for the future.
With interest from England and abroad constantly growing around emerging Scottish prospects, keeping hold of highly-rated youngsters is rarely straightforward. Financial incentives, bigger leagues and attractive development pathways can often tempt players away before they fully establish themselves at their boyhood clubs.
However, Rangers have now received a major boost on that front.
Bailey Rice has turned down the opportunity to pursue a move elsewhere and instead committed his future to Rangers by signing a new contract extension.
The talented 19-year-old midfielder had been heavily linked with an exit from Ibrox this summer, with several clubs in England and overseas reportedly monitoring his situation as he approached the final stages of his previous deal.
Rather than testing the market, the Scotland Under-21 international has chosen to stay in Glasgow and continue his development under new manager Derek McInnes.
The fresh agreement keeps Rice tied to Rangers until next summer and includes the option of an additional year.
It also represents the first significant contract decision completed since McInnes replaced Danny Rohl, who departed for Red Bull Salzburg earlier this week.
Rice’s decision comes despite a frustrating campaign that was severely disrupted by injury.
The youngster managed only 45 minutes of first-team action last season, appearing in a Premier Sports Cup encounter against Alloa after spending much of the year recovering from a serious hamstring setback.
Yet Rangers have remained confident in his potential, and the midfielder has now repaid that faith by committing his immediate future to the club.
Rice joined Rangers from Motherwell’s academy during the summer of 2022 and quickly established himself as one of the brightest prospects within the club’s youth system.
He made his senior debut at just 16 years old during a 3-0 Scottish Premiership victory over Livingston and has since accumulated 16 first-team appearances.
Among those outings was a memorable European start against Athletic Bilbao in the Europa League quarter-finals during the 2024/25 campaign.
Speaking after putting pen to paper on his new deal, Rice made it clear that staying at Rangers was always his preferred option.
“It’s brilliant. I have been a fan since I was a kid, so I know what it means to play here, and I know what the club means to me, so it is a great achievement.
“It is such a great club, I have had some great moments, but I have also had some of the hardest moments of my career with injury, but that can only make me a better player, and I feel I can show a lot more than I already have.
“I always knew where my head was at, and I feel like I can show more than I already have. I spoke with my family, and we always knew this was the right place for me.”
The midfielder also reflected on the serious hamstring injury that interrupted his progress and forced him into a lengthy rehabilitation programme.
“When it happened, I felt a pop, and it was something I had never felt before,” he added. “I went for a scan, and it came back as quite a major injury.
“It has not been plain sailing in my rehab, but I have kept my head down, and I have worked really hard, so hopefully it will be worth it this season.
“You can only prepare for what’s next. I feel really good, probably the best I have felt, a lot fitter and a lot sharper.
“I just want to get as much game time as possible. It is really important at my age especially and coming off an injury, you need to get game time, so I’m looking forward to this season.”
For Rangers and McInnes, securing Rice’s signature may feel almost as important as any new arrival. While clubs from England were reportedly circling, one of the club’s most gifted young talents has decided that his future remains at Ibrox.
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