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Rangers have re-opened contract talks with homegrown talent Josh McPake, with three clubs interested in his signature, according to The Daily Record.

What's the story?

McPake caught the eye late last season in high profile reserve and youth team matches, most notably winning the man of the match award during the Gers' 3-2 Scottish Youth Cup final win against Celtic, which was broadcast live on television.

With just a year left on his current deal at Ibrox however, The Record report that Liverpool, AS Roma and Borussia Monchengladbach have all registered interest in the player.

The paper say manager Steven Gerrard is a "huge admirer" of the player and that the club are again in discussions to keep him in Glasgow for another three years, despite the youngster rejecting the offer of an extension back in March.

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Long-term plans

With the report stating that the Ibrox boss considers the winger as part of his future plans, it's important that Rangers find a solution to the contract problems and sign him up.

McPake may only be 17 and entirely untested at a senior level, but if the Gers are going to make significant progress over the next few years then they must find a route for their academy players into the first-team rather than rely on buying talent in.

Celtic have done it successfully over the last few years with players such as Kieran Tierney, Callum McGregor, James Forrest, Ewan Henderson and Mikey Johnston all involved last season and generating great success.

Letting players leave before they reach their peak value is damaging when the resources available in Scotland are comparatively poor and seeing McPake, one of the stand-out players at the club in his age group, leave for a side in a bigger league would be another sign Rangers aren't getting it quite right.

Retaining these kind of players should be the first priority around which the rest of the club's recruitment revolves around.