Blackburn manager Graeme Souness today revealed he made an unsuccessful enquiry for Rangers captain Barry Ferguson.
The 25-year-old is Rangers' most prized asset and Rovers have money to spend following the summer sales of David Dunn and Damien Duff. Rangers have huge financial problems, and their hopes of reaching the Champions League and collecting the #10million that comes with it are in jeopardy following a home draw with FC Copenhagen in the qualifiers.
However, Ibrox honorary chairman David Murray told former Rangers boss Souness that the player will not be allowed to leave. Souness told the Lancashire Evening Telegraph: "We've made an enquiry for Barry in the last seven days but we were told he's not for sale,"
"He's someone I've been aware of for a few years, he's still only 25, and I think he's a very, very good player. "But Rangers told us that he's not available and that's the end of it. "I've got a good relationship with the chairman of that football club and I respect what he says."
Souness was manager at Rangers when Murray took over at Ibrox in the late 1980s and the pair laid the foundations for a decade of domestic dominance which featured nine successive titles, with Walter Smith taking over from Souness when the latter moved to Liverpool.
Souness has already signed one Rangers player this summer - Italian defender Lorenzo Amoruso.