Rangers close in on Fabio Silva Wolves deal; is he available to play Celtic?

Wolves forward Fabio Silva looks set to be Philippe Clement’s first signing at Rangers – but when will the attacker be available to play?

The story surrounding Fabio Silva – who cost Wolves a record £35m when he signed from Porto in 2020 – has snowballed since the beginning of the week.

Links originated in Portugal before the chatter came to these shores, with Wolves boss Gary O’Neil only adding fuel to the fire when he admitted players could leave Molineux this January.

A couple of days later, Fabrizio Romano is now claiming a switch to Rangers is imminent with both Belgian boss Philippe Clement and new Head of Recruitment Nils Koppen central to the deal.

🚨🔵 Fábio Silva to Rangers, here we go! Deal in place between Scottish club and Wolves — agreement reached on loan until June.

Portuguese striker will sign the contract soon. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

Clement and Koppen, crucial to make it happen.

There will be NO buy option clause included. pic.twitter.com/PxA3ZgdCKf

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) December 28, 2023

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Fabio Silva himself has hinted at an imminent transfer announcement by sharing an egg-timer on his social media profiles.

Fabio Silva close to Rangers switch

It’s certainly an exciting signing for Rangers given Fabio Silva’s profile with reports of Celtic interest in the 21-year-old also adding an extra dimension to the transfer.

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But as Ibrox fans await official confirmation on the deal supporters will have to reconcile with the fact the forward won’t be able to face the club’s Old Firm rivals – just yet at least.

Rangers are in the midst of an injury crisis with Brazilian striker Danilo and routinely crocked forward Kemar Roofe both out for the foreseeable future.

It means striker reinforcements are paramount this January with the addition of spritely forward Fabio Silva certainly welcome in the squad.

But with the transfer window not set to open until Monday (01/24), Fabio Silva cannot be registered to play for Rangers until the New Year.

With the upcoming Old Firm derby set to take place on 30th December – unlike last season where the match took place on 2nd January – it means Silva will be unavailable for the trip to Celtic Park.

Interestingly, that does mean that if the paperwork is completed in time, the striker could be available for the Scottish Premiership clash with Kilmarnock on the 2nd of January.

Rangers and the rest of Scottish football then goes on a winter break with the game set to return around three weeks later.

Photo by Jack Thomas – WWFC/Wolves via Getty ImagesWolves striker chooses Ibrox over Celtic Park?

Rangers are fast becoming quite the destination for young talents with big futures who’ve somewhat lost their direction.

The club currently has Brighton forward Abdallah Sima in on loan whilst last season, Malik Tillman impressed during a temporary switch from FC Bayern.

Fabio Silva – who spent last season on loan at Anderlecht and then PSV Eindhoven – certainly fits the mould and this looks like a positive deal for all parties.

Rangers fans might also look at the influence of Nils Koppen in striking the temporary switch, Silva having worked with the club’s new recruitment guru at PSV Eindhoven last season.

Reportedly pipping Celtic in the hunt for the striker is just the cherry on the cake, even if the striker will not be available for the trip to Celtic Park.

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