Lewis Ferguson has answered the Rangers question, and the answer is more complicated than either yes or no. He was never close to leaving Bologna this summer. He also still wants to play for Rangers one day. Both of those things are true at the same time, and he said so without much fuss.
"I had a long think after the World Cup about my future and I was a little bit unsure but nothing was ever that close," the 27-year-old told BBC Scotland.
Three managers in two months
The uncertainty had a cause. Ferguson went back for pre-season to find Domenico Tedesco in charge at Bologna, which felt like a clean slate. Then Tedesco went and Raffaele Palladino arrived. Add Sebastien Pocognoli taking over Scotland and Ferguson has worked under three new managers since roughly the start of August.
"I had a long think about what my future was going to look like and in the end it was still at Bologna. I've loved every moment that I've had there. It was just about continuing that journey and seeing where it takes me."
There was a reason to think about it. His starts dried up last season under Vincenzo Italiano, just 17 in the league. This season is the opposite: he has played every minute of Bologna's opening five Serie A games. He captains the club, has done since 2023, and led them to a Coppa Italia in 2025, their first in more than fifty years.
Released at 14, and the family name
Rangers let Ferguson go when he was 14. He went to Hamilton Academical, then Aberdeen, then Serie A in 2022. His father Derek played for Rangers. So did his uncle Barry, who captained the club and managed it for a spell.
Derek McInnes, who took the Rangers job in the summer and worked with Ferguson at Aberdeen, said in July there was an "obvious link" between them. That is how these stories start.
Ferguson did not pretend otherwise. "It's no secret that I grew up a fan and my family is involved in the club. It was a dream of mine as a kid and that's not changed but I don't want to speak about that while I'm a player at Bologna."
What happens next
Nothing, for a while. He is under contract until 2028 with an option for a further year, he is playing every minute, and he captains a club that won a major trophy eighteen months ago. Rangers would need a set of circumstances that do not currently exist.
The honest reading of his answer is that he expects it to come up again, probably more than once. "In the future, you never know. It might happen, it might not, but it's always been something in the back of mind." Players who genuinely have no interest tend to say so in fewer words.
Transfer context: Lewis Ferguson, 27, midfielder, captain of Bologna since 2023, under contract until 2028 with the option of a further year. Released by Rangers at 14; moved to Serie A in 2022 via Hamilton Academical and Aberdeen. Made 17 league starts last season under Vincenzo Italiano; has played every minute of Bologna's first five Serie A games this season. Led Bologna to the 2025 Coppa Italia, their first in over 50 years. Rangers manager Derek McInnes previously managed him at Aberdeen.
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