Leeds United are interested in signing Bailey Rice, a 19-year-old Scottish defensive midfielder whose contract at Ibrox will expire at the end of the month. Rangers have been in negotiations for several weeks to extend his contract but are now prepared to stop the talks and allow him to leave on a free transfer because of a lack of progress.
According to former Man United chief scout Mick Brown, Leeds are monitoring the situation and could attempt to sign him if he leaves Rangers. Manager Daniel Farke wants to add more young players to his squad, but there are concerns about a knee injury that caused Rice to miss almost all of the previous season. Brown stated that this lack of game time could impact the player's development and urged caution. It is also reported that a number of other Premier League clubs are interested. Football Insider previously revealed that Aston Villa is among the interested parties. Although he might become available on a free transfer, any club that signs Rice will be required to pay Rangers a compensation fee. Rice, a Scotland U19 international with 16 caps, joined Rangers in July 2024. According to Transfermarkt, his current market value is €800k.
