Rangers have handed academy product Cole McKinnon and Jay Hogarth is set to do similar - before immediately looking to go out on loan deals to help them build senior experience.
McKinnon has already made an impact with Giovanni van Bronckhorst's team, who reached the Europa League final and won the Scottish Cup last season. He netted the winner in a final day 3-1 victory over Hearts as a number of fellow youth academy products were fielded by the Dutchman.
The duo are heading into the final 12 months of their contracts and Rangers want them tied down on longer terms to ensure they won't lose them on the cheap, according to Football Scotland. McKinnon - who's deal is confirmed until 2025 - and Hogarth both played their part in the Lowland League 'B' team last year and have regularly been involved in first team training. 18-year-old Hogarth is yet to experience senior football outside of the Lowland League.
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His club are happy to send him out loan so he can find that game time above the fifth tier.
Partick Thistle meanwhile is a likely destination for McKinnon, with Jags boss Ian McCall a fan ahead of their new Championship season. He previously played nine times while out on loan at East Fife.
Academy director Craig Mulholland has oversaw additions to the club's Under-18s side this week, Cammy Cooper joining from Partick Thistle for an undisclosed fee.
He said of McKinnon's deal: "Cole has made excellent progress in the last 12 months and he has impressed the Academy staff and also importantly the Manager and his staff resulting in his first team debut, a goal and now this well deserved contract.
Kieron Willox is joining from Inverness, Paul Nsio from Lambeth Tigers, Souleyman Mandey from Pulse Academy and Mason Munn from Glentoran.
They join Kerr Robertson, Zander Hutton, Sam Kane, Jamie Newton, Leyton Grant, Findlay Curtis and Niall Rogerson who will all move into Cameron Campbell and Stevie Smith's U-18s group for the 2022/23 season.
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