Former Rangers captain Barry Ferguson believes fans should not hold out much hope of Billy Gilmour returning to Ibrox, even on loan.

The 21-year-old moved from Chelsea to Brighton for £8m last summer but he has struggled for game time on the south coast. Some have suggested the Gers as a possible destination so the Scotland international could get more game time but Ferguson fears that the midfielder’s salary could prove to be too much for the Light Blues:

“I’d love to see him back at Rangers but unfortunately I just don’t see it. Brighton got him for a bargain when they paid just over £8million to lure him from Stamford Bridge but I think you’d still be surprised by the kind of wages he’d be on and sadly I think that may scupper any hopes for an Ibrox return, even on loan.”

While Ferguson is probably correct to play down the chances of Gilmour moving back to Glasgow, a loan switch should not be so quickly dismissed.

Although the move ultimately didn’t work out, Rangers showed with Aaron Ramsey that they can negotiate loan deals for players on high wages, as long as the parent clubs are willing to be flexible.

Of course, when it comes to Gilmour, there are likely to be plenty of other suitors and that may hinder attempts to bring him back to Scotland.