STEWART ROBERTSON hopes Rangers can still retain the services of midfielder Billy Gilmour – despite having already agreed a financial package for his Ibrox exit.

The 15-year-old has emerged as one the brightest young talents in the Auchenhowie ranks in recent months and has attracted interest from clubs in England and abroad.

Chelsea are poised to clinch a deal that would net Rangers a six-figure transfer fee if Gilmour decides to head to Stamford Bridge this summer.

But Ibrox Managing Director Robertson insists the Light Blues would rather have the Scot in their side than the cash in the bank.

He said: “We would love Billy Gilmour to stay but we need to protect our position and do the sensible thing because if he goes in the summer without a deal being agreed then he leaves only for a compensation amount.

“That would be a helluva lot less than if we had a fee agreed beforehand. We have protected our position on that side of things but we’d like Billy Gilmour to stay at the club.

“Everybody on the football side thinks he’s a fantastic talent and he’s still only 15.

“It would be great to see a boy like that develop and stay here to get a lot of game time and go further.

“I think Malky Mackay said do we really want to see him get lost in a big academy. I hope not because he would certainly be looked after here and be given an opportunity.

“I think there’s a reasonable chance [he will stay] – we’ve done all we can. We’ve tried to sell Rangers and the opportunities to him in the best possible way on the basis of his career going forward. We’d give him a platform to go forward.

“But if there are other big clubs, then we’re all human and his head could be turned.

“We believe we could give him a platform to have a terrific career going forward.

“We have got a position agreed if he was to go. I won’t tell you the number but there is a position agreed.

“It would be negligent of us not to have done that in terms of the governance of the club, but we’d rather not get the money and Billy stayed and went on to have a great career at Rangers.”

Gilmour is one of a number of promising young talents that Rangers have high hopes for as they look to produce the next generation of Ibrox stars under the guidance of Head of Academy Craig Mulholland.

And Robertson is confident more players can emerge through the ranks and go on to make their mark in Pedro Caixinha’s first team squad.

He said: “We need to show the boys there is a pathway. We need to allow them to improve and develop as players.

“Look at the SFA’s Project Brave stuff, there is that 17-21 year old window where a lot of the boys seem to disappear.

“We’re working hard through Craig Mulholland at the academy to give them the best chance possible. A lot of the boys are playing one or two age groups up, to try to give them that challenge.

“The 16s are maybe playing Under-20s so that when they go back to 16s it becomes a bit easier for them. We need to show them there is a pathway there.

“Pedro coming in is quite important. He already has boys training with him.

“Yesterday I think five or six of the Under-17s trained with the first team. He’s giving them an opportunity which allows them to assess them.

“That’s important because it gives the guys a chance. They won’t all make it, that’s football, but we have a good batch, 15, 16, 17-year olds in particular, coming through at the moment.”