RANGERS have completed their first deal of the transfer window with Fabio Silva arriving on loan from Wolves.
The much-loved Portuguese Under-21 striker cost £35m when he moved to the Midlands 3 years ago.
Since then he has been on loan in the season from Anderlecht and PSV Eindhoven.
And since the Wolves are keen to have the 21-year-old more experienced, they agreed to have him come north of the Rangers for the rest of the season.
Celtic had also been linked with a conceivable move by the former Porto player, but say they are focusing on other targets.
But rivals Rangers have moved quickly to add Silva to their squad for the second half of the season.
The striker told the club’s website: “I’m very happy, when I spoke to other people at Glasgow and Rangers, they all told me clever things about the club and its history.
“I played here once with Porto in the Europa League, so I already know the warm club, the environment and the stadium, so everything is perfect.
“I’m very pleased to be here and I can’t wait to start training with the team. “
Rangers director of recruitment Nils Koppen worked with Silva during the season in Eindhoven.
And manager Philippe Clement is a huge admirer of the player. He said: “I am delighted we have been able to secure the signing of Fabio, he is a highly-rated striker and it is fantastic to have him joining our squad for the remainder of the season.
“He is a young player who already has some great experience in his career in both England and in Europe, and I am looking forward to working with him moving forward.”
Silva has been handed the number seven shirt for the rest of the season. It was previously registered to Ianis Hagi who is on loan at Alaves until the summer.
The former Benfica youth prospect has played 10 times for Wolves this season, unlike Manchester United, Liverpool and Manchester City.
His only goal came in a 5-0 League Cup win over Blackpool in August, while he also featured in a pre-season friendly against Celtic this summer.
Silva is under contract at Molineux until 2026 and it is understood that Rangers will have an option to buy when the loan era ends in June.
The Ibrox club, who have also been linked with the departure of Lawrence Shankland from Hearts, were in need of eye-catching reinforcements.
Danilo and Kemar Roofe are injured, while Abdallah Sima and Cyriel Dessers could be called up for the Africa Cup of Nations.
Gers CEO James Bisgrove added: “After speaking at length with Philippe, the chairman and our football board ahead of this transfer window, we are all aligned in the areas we are looking to strengthen heading into 2024.
“It’s tremendously positive to have been able to bring the team together so early, especially with a player of Fabio’s calibre, and we’re very pleased to welcome him to Rangers. “
If he registers in time, Silva could make his Rangers debut at home to Kilmarnock on January 2.
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