West Brom set for Aston Villa, Sunderland AFC & Cardiff City transfer battle - it involves Rangers man | OneFootball

The Baggies are in a tussle for Rangers teenager star Bailey Rice.

West Brom are preparing to battle it out with Aston Villa, Sunderland and Cardiff City for the capture of Rangers teenager Bailey Rice next summer.

This has been reported by the Daily Mail’s Simon Jones, with Rice attracting a number of suitors given he is set to leave Ibrox as a free agent at the end of the 2025-26 campaign.

The Baggies’ hierarchy are planning a squad overhaul over the coming seasons as they look to transform the Black Country outfit’s fortunes and push for a return to the Premier League.

Albion already have a number of first-team players set to leave the Hawthorns for free on the expiration of their contracts, including Daryl Dike, Josh Maja, Karlan Grant and Ousmane Diakite.

Heading into next season, regardless of which division the Baggies find themselves in, activity is expected to be busy to sound out replacements for such a long list of expected departures.

And it already appears controlling shareholder Shilen Patel has got his eye on where he wants to improve the squad, with an emphasis on recruiting young and hungry players who have the potential to go on and command very high selling fees from consistently impressive performances.

From this mantra, Rice certainly ticks a lot of boxes, and could be the latest player Albion brings in that can have a huge impact on their playing squad.

As per a report by the Daily Mail, West Brom are weighing up a move to bring Rangers defensive midfielder Bailey Rice to the club next summer.

However, they are set to face stiff competition from a trio of clubs that includes West Midlands rivals Aston Villa, along with fellow Premier League outfit Sunderland and League One club Cardiff City.

This is likely to come through a free transfer, with Rice set to let his deal run down at Ibrox having failed to agree terms on a new deal.

The Scottish U21 international was previously tracked by the likes of Manchester City and Brighton when he broke through at Motherwell, but he opted to put pen to paper on a deal at Rangers back in 2023.

It is believed all of West Brom, Sunderland, Aston Villa, and Cardiff have checked on the 19-year-old in recent weeks, while the Baggies and Bluebirds have shown an indication of offering a pre-contract offer to Rice in January when he is able to talk to other interested parties.

It certainly sounds like a transfer that could gather pace at the turn of the new year, and it will be intriguing to see if West Brom can come out on top in the race.

When it comes to the beginning of next season, West Brom are set to be left very light in midfield by the departures of Ousmane Diakite and Toby Collyer.

From this, Albion will be on the lookout for a new number six, and Bailey Rice could be the perfect addition as he looks to make a name for himself.

You can understand why Rice is set on a move away from Rangers himself, as over the last three seasons at the club, he’s made just 16 appearances and hasn’t been given ample enough opportunities to showcase his talents.

His most extensive playing time came last season during Rangers’ Europa League campaign, where he featured in groups stage games against Nice and Manchester United, as well as gaining 67 minutes in the first leg of their quarter-final tie with Athletic Bilbao.

It’s such a fantastic experience to have at such a young age, but now Rice has to make a move to a club where he is going to start most weeks and can get valuable minutes under his belt.

West Brom could definitely be a place to do that given their need for midfield options next term, but it’s about whether the Baggies are an appealing enough project to take on, and it could be dependent on whether they can gain promotion back to the Premier League at the end of this campaign.

Meanwhile, the likes of Aston Villa and Sunderland could tempt Rice given their fantastic league positions in the Premier League, but then Rice could be involved in a number of loan swaps if he isn’t deemed good enough to make the step-up to the top-flight just yet.

An area that could be a sticking point for West Brom is Rice’s injury record. The Scotsman recently underwent “big” surgery on a training-related injury towards the end of November, while he was stretchered off last term in that Europa League clash with Athletic Bilbao.

It’s whether the Baggies are prepared to take that gamble, but it could be worth making given he wouldn’t command a transfer fee and wouldn’t be on a massive wage at a Championship club by being so young.