Rangers 'agree loan deal for Wolverhampton Wanderers striker Fabio Silva'

Rangers have reportedly reached an agreement with Wolverhampton Wanderers to sign striker Fabio Silva on loan in January.

The 21-year-old has failed to reach the heights expected at Molineux since joining the West Midlands club from Portuguese giants Porto for a club-record £35m in the summer of 2020.

Silva has contributed with just five goals and six assists in 72 appearances for Wolves across all competitions, and has only featured for 262 minutes in the Premier League so far this season.

The Portuguese has not played for Wolves since November 4 and has been left out of the last matchday squad for fixtures against Chelsea and Brentford over the last week.

Silva had hoped to make a name for himself at Wolves following productive loan spells at Anderlecht and PSV Eindhoven in the 2022-23 campaign, scoring 16 goals and registering six assists.

However, Hwang Hee-chan, Matheus Cunha and Sasa Kalajdzic have all been preferred in attack by Wolves boss Gary O'Neil, and Silva has been tipped to depart the club in January in search of regular first-team football as a result.

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A host of Spanish and Bundesliga clubs have been credited with an interest in Silva, while Scottish giants Rangers and Celtic are understood to have recently joined the race for the striker.

However, it appears that Rangers are set to win the battle for his signature as journalist Fabrizio Romano claims that an agreement is in place between the Gers and Wolves for Silva to move on loan to Ibrox until June 2024.

Romano adds that no option to buy has been included in the deal and the striker is expected to sign his loan contract 'soon'.

Rangers manager Philippe Clement, who took charge of the club in November, and director of football Nils Koppen are said to have been 'crucial' in making the deal come to fruition.

The Gers are on the lookout for attacking reinforcements as both Kemar Roofe and Danilo are currently sidelined with injuries, the latter of whom is facing several months out with a knee problem.

Hearts striker Lawrence Shankland and former Motherwell man Kevin van Veen, now at Dutch outfit Groningen, are two other names that have been linked with Rangers, but Silva appears to be their primary attacking target who is set to provide competition for Cyriel Dessers, Sam Lammers and Ross McCausland once he finalises his move to Glasgow.