Lewis Ferguson has confessed that he would still like to fulfil his lifelong dream and play for Rangers one day despite intense speculation about him moving to Ibrox this summer amounting to nothing.
The Scotland midfielder, whose father Derek and uncle Barry both represented the Govan club during their distinguished professional careers, was widely tipped to return to his homeland and sign for his boyhood heroes following an impressive World Cup in June.
Speaking ahead of the Nations League match against Switzerland at Hampden this evening, the former Hamilton kid conceded that he had found the prospect of playing under Derek McInnes to be an intriguing one.
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He stressed that he is happy to remain at Bologna – who he captained to the Coppa Italia, their first trophy in 51 years, two seasons ago – and work under their new manager Raffaele Palladino.
However, the 27-year-old, who is under contract at the Stadio Renato Dall’Ara until 2028, refused to rule out donning a light blue jersey in the future.
“I had a long think after the World Cup and then time spent on holiday,” said Ferguson. “I thought about the future. I was a little bit unsure. But, you know, nothing was ever really that close to be honest.
“When I went back for pre-season with Bologna, I had a new manager so it was like a fresh start again. We've changed (manager) again since then so I've had three new managers in the last two months.
“But I had a long, long think about my future and what that was going to look like. In the end, it was still at Bologna. I've loved every moment that I've had there so it was just about continuing that journey.”
Asked if he would like to play for Rangers one day, he replied, “I think one day. It's no secret I grew up a fan. That's certainly no secret. My family's involved in the club. Yeah, it was an aspiration and a dream of mine as a kid. That's not changed.
“But I don't want to speak about that while I'm still a player at Bologna. I've got too much too much respect for them. But, yeah, in the future, you never know. That's always been sitting in the back of my mind.”
Ferguson insisted the stories linking him with a move to Rangers – many of which were fuelled by his media pundit father’s comments on podcasts and the radio – had not adversely affected him.
"It is what it is,” he said. “There was a little bit of interest, but it's always blown up because it's me and because of the connections. If it was any other player, it would be sort of brushed to the side, but it's always been the case with me. I'm pretty used to it by now.
"I get annoyed with my dad every time he speaks! Sometimes he speaks without thinking! I'm watching it and thinking, 'Oh no!' Every now and then when I think he's said something that isn't right I'll have a word with him. But that's it. We've got such a good relationship that I can phone him if I think he's said something.
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"But I was in Disneyland with the kids this summer so my phone was put away. To be honest, I'm not the sort of person to go on and read it. I got a lot of people asking me, of course, because if people see it. Their first thought will be 'I'll phone or text Lewis and see what he's saying'.
“But it's the same answer from me every time. I just switched off after the World Cup. I stayed in America and was at Disneyland with the kids, so I had no time to be seeing any articles or anything online.”
He continued, "I know what I've got out there. I'm settled and my family's happy. It has been my home for the last four years. I've loved every minute of it. I absolutely love the club. And they weren't willing for me to leave.
“We've played at such a high level. We've won the Coppa Italia, we've played Europa League, we’ve got to the quarter-finals, we’ve played Champions League. So it's been an amazing four years, not just for me but for the club in general.”
Ferguson is more interested in helping Scotland to record their first victory under new manager Sebastien Pocognoli and developing his promising new central midfield partnership with Billy Gilmour.
The duo performed well together in the 3-4-1-2 formation which Belgian coach Pocognoli introduced in the 0-0 draw with Slovenia in Ljubljana on Saturday and they should both get the nod to face Switzerland.
“I think we work well together because we’re completely different profiles of players,” he said. “We both bring different things that can affect the game and help the team. We’ve also got a really good relationship too. I think we work well together and I hope we can continue that.
“I’ve known Billy since we were boys together at Rangers. He’s not really changed to be honest. It was a long time ago, but I can obviously remember being in and around his company.
“For Billy to miss out on the World Cup was massively disappointing. Maybe it’s triggered something inside him to give him that wee edge. I’m so happy for him to be back and playing football again. I went through a similar thing (at Euro 2024) and you do get that wee flip.”
Ferguson was pleased to see former Chelsea and Brighton midfielder Gilmour net only his second goal in club football in the Serie A match against Fiorentina this month – and was tickled by his compatriot's reaction to his strike.
“I was laughing because he never scores!” he said. “Especially from a corner! I texted him straight after because he ran away with the [Alan] Shearer celebration. I thought, ‘Where have you pulled that from?’."
