Aston Villa transfer news: Offer being prepared for Rangers midfielder with 'huge potential'

Aston Villa are reportedly likely to make an approach for Rangers midfielder Bailey Rice.

Unai Emery's side are still trying to secure Champions League qualification for next season, with Sunday's 2-2 draw at Burnley leaving them in fifth place in the Premier League table with two matches remaining.

However, the West Midlands outfit must give consideration to how to sign players in the summer transfer window, a consequence of needing to ensure that they comply with the Premier League's and UEFA's financial regulations.

A report over the weekend indicated that one of their current midfielders would not be in the squad for 2026-27, therefore leaving Emery to find an alternative.

According to Football Insider, the Spaniard is interested in bolstering his engine-room ranks with the acquisition of Rice.

Aston Villa planning Rice move

Rice is expected to leave Rangers at the end of this campaign with his contract due to expire at the end of June.

The 19-year-old has only made one senior appearance this season due to a knee injury.

Nevertheless, having made 16 outings for the Rangers first team in total, there is the belief south of the border that Rice can still develop into a top player.

He can count a 45-minute outing away to Manchester United in a 2-1 defeat in January 2025, and a 67-minute appearance in a Europa League quarter-final versus Athletic Bilbao among his first-team matches.

Crystal Palace and Nottingham Forest are also being linked with a move for the Scotland Under-19 international.

Correspondent Pete O'Rourke told the Football Insider Podcast: “There are clubs willing to take that gamble on Rice. He’s been talked about for a long time now and is a very highly regarded player in Scotland.

"He’s got huge potential and that’s probably why you’ve got this interest in him from the Premier League because they see their potential and they’ll be hoping that they can tap into that and bring out the best in him.”

Is Rice deal worth the risk?

Much may depend on how much compensation will need to be paid by whoever wins the race for Rice.

Nine months without any top-flight action at this stage of his career leaves the starlet heading somewhat into the unknown.

Should he be signed by a Premier League club, the assumption is that he will be loaned out for a year before being considered for first-team action.

Nevertheless, even with just 472 minutes of senior action at Rangers, the fact that faith has previously been placed in him for major contests emphasises that he has the qualities to become an asset to whichever club signs him this summer.