Rangers have signed defender Max Aarons on a season-long loan from Bournemouth.
The 25-year-old becomes Rangers’ second summer signing, following Dundee midfielder Lyall Cameron, who moved to Ibrox after agreeing a pre-contract in February.
However, Aarons’ arrival is the first sanctioned by new head coach Russell Martin and sporting director Kevin Thelwell as they look to bolster the squad ahead of next month’s Champions League second round qualifier against Panathinaikos.
It is understood there is no option to buy included in the deal for the defender, who played four times for Bournemouth last season before going on loan to Valencia in January.
Aarons is a player Martin knows well, having spent time together at Norwich, and will provide competition to captain James Tavernier.
Max Aarons (L) joined Bournemouth in a deal worth up to £12m in 2023
Speaking after joining Rangers, Aarons said: “I am delighted to be here, as you can see it’s a huge club and you realise that when you walk through the doors, I can’t wait to get going.
“I’ve got a lot of experience now in different leagues and I have played a lot of games. I think I can bring that experience, I can bring a new energy, and I think Rangers fans can be excited – I am really looking forward to it.”
Rangers boss Martin added: “Max is a player who I have always kept a keen eye on since he was emerging through the youth ranks while I was coming to the end of my time at Norwich as a player. He is a wonderfully talented player who is hungry to develop, improve and help deliver success for his side.”
Rangers fixtures: Motherwell opener live on Sky Sports
Rangers will kick-off their 2025/26 Scottish Premiership season at Motherwell on Saturday August 2, live on Sky Sports.
It will be new head coach Martin’s first league game in charge since being appointed in the summer, and will come just days after their Champions League second-qualifying-round clash against Panathinaikos.
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Russell Martin reacted to the news that Rangers’ first game of the Scottish Premiership season will be against Motherwell and revealed that he has exchanged messages with Jens Berthel Askou, a player he previously played with at Norwich
His first Scottish Premiership game at Ibrox will take place on Saturday August 9 against Steven Pressley’s Dundee.
The first Old Firm clash of the season takes place on Sunday August 31 live on Sky Sports as Celtic travel to Ibrox, a fixture that could be key as Martin’s side look to close the gap on their city rivals this season.
The sides will meet again at Celtic Park on Wednesday January 3 – live on Sky Sports – with their final pre-split meeting at Ibrox on February 28.
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Kris Boyd and Chris Sutton make their predictions for the 2025/26 Scottish Premiership title.
Elsewhere, their first match against Derek McInnes’ Hearts comes on Saturday September 13 at Ibrox, while Rangers face the two newly-promoted clubs on consecutive weeks with a trip to Livingston on Saturday September 27, before travelling to Falkirk on October 4.
Rangers head to Easter Road – where they ended the last campaign – to face Hibernian on Wednesday October 29, while the first clash against Aberdeen follows that on November 1 at Ibrox.
With no winter break this season, Rangers face six games in December – however, there are no games on Boxing Day. Instead, Martin’s side head to Hearts on Saturday December 20 and then host Motherwell on Saturday December 27 at Ibrox.
Rangers’ final pre-split fixture takes place on April 11 at Falkirk, with the league campaign concluding on the weekend of May 16/17 and the play-off final bringing a curtain down on proceedings on May 21 and 24.
