Rangers deliver bombshell Ibrox update with possible move to Murrayfield for start of next season

Rangers could be forced to play their opening matches of next season away from home after the club confirmed that redevelopment work at Ibrox will not be completed in time for the start of the 2024-25 campaign.

Planned work on the Copland Stand has been hit by shipping delays meaning that the 51,000-capacity stadium may not be able to host matches when the new Scottish Premiership season kicks off on the weekend of August 3 and 4.

Rangers are currently working on contingency plans that could see their home matches played at an alternative venue, with reports that Murrayfield Stadium is under consideration should Hampden Park be unavailable.

Rangers will be forced to play matches away from Ibrox at the start of next season due to a delay in stadium works. (Photo by Alan Harvey / SNS Group)

Rangers, who have confirmed the signing of Connor Barron from Aberdeen, are also due to play a Champions League qualifier in early August with fans facing the potential of travelling to a different ground for the home leg unless a solution is found to allow Ibrox to partially open.

A club statement read: "Rangers has recently been advised of a delay in a materials shipment from Asia which is likely to have an impact on the programme for the completion of the Copland Stand works.

“It is therefore expected, unfortunately, that there will be an impact on matches at Ibrox at the beginning of the 2024/25 competitive season. The club has engaged with the SPFL and UEFA in order to review planned contingency arrangements.

“Naturally, everyone at Rangers is deeply disappointed with this news. The club is working intensively to ensure that all steps are taken to deliver the project at the earliest possible date and a further progress update will be issued to supporters in due course.”

Murrayfield, which is owned by Scottish Rugby, has previously hosted Scottish football matches. Hearts used the 67,000-seater arena in 2017 while Tynecastle Park was being renovated while Celtic played a Champions League qualifier in Edinburgh in 2014 due to Celtic Park being used as a host venue for the Commonwealth Games. Rangers are already due to play at Murrayfield next month when they take on Manchester United in a glamour friendly fixture.

Hampden is a closer alternative to Ibrox but the pitch is due to be ripped up and relaid following a summer of concerts in preparation for the start of Scotland’s Nations League A campaign, which kicks off against Poland on September 5.

The Scottish Professional Football League say it is working to help Rangers find a solution. One option open to the governing body would be to hand Rangers away matches for the opening weeks of the campaign. Hearts were granted such a request for the start of the 2017-18 season when they played nine of their 13 opening league matches away from home, with the other four hosted at Murrayfield, before returning to Tynecastle in mid-November following the completion of building work.

An SPFL spokesperson said: “We have received notification from Rangers FC that they may be unable to host SPFL fixtures in August at Ibrox Stadium due to ongoing stadium works. We have agreed to work with Rangers on how we can best mitigate this situation following next week’s publication of the fixture calendar for season 2024/25.”

Meanwhile, Rangers have bolstered their midfield with the arrival of Barron following the expiry of his Aberdeen contract. The Scotland Under-21 international has penned a four-year deal and becomes the fourth summer arrival at Ibrox following on from Jefte, Oscar Cortes and Clinton Nsiala.

Barron told the club website: “I am absolutely delighted. As soon as I started talking to the club I knew that this was the place for me to come. Everything seemed right and I think it is the best place for me to be at this moment of my career.

“It is a club where the demand is high to win football matches and trophies and that is something that I really want to be a part of. It was a massive decision for me, but it was made easy by speaking to the staff and the manager and now I can't wait to get started.”

Rangers manager Philippe Clement added: “We are thrilled to welcome Connor to the club. He’s a young talented player with the right mentality who’s already gathered a lot of experience in the Scottish Premiership and in Europe."