Rangers trade news: Wolves’ Fabio Silva to join Ibrox club on loan in January

Fabio Silva will officially join Rangers on January 1 and will become manager Philippe Clement’s first signing; the striker signed for Premier League club Wolves in 2020 for £35m; the 21-year-old has been on loan at Anderlecht and PSV since his move to Molineux

The striker will move to Ibrox on January 1, subject to international clearance, and become manager Philippe Clement’s first signing.

Silva, 21, moved to Molineux from Porto for £35m three years ago but has spent time out on loan at PSV and Anderlecht after failing to secure a starting spot in Gary O’Neil’s first team.

Sky Sports News understands talks with Clement, plus the lure of European football were key to Silva moving to Ibrox next month, but there is no option to make the move permanent in the summer.

“I am very happy, when I spoke to people about Glasgow and about Rangers, everyone told me good things about the club and the history,” Silva said.

“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 am very happy to be here, and I can’t wait to start training with the team.”

Clement – who was hoping to bolster his attacking options after injuries to Danilo and Kemar Roofe – 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.”

There is a link between Silva and the club with incoming Gers director of football Nils Koppen previously signing him on loan for PSV Eindhoven.

According to reports, Celtic were also keen on the striker who has already visited Glasgow ahead of his move next month.

Wolves sporting director Matt Hobbs added: “This is a simple one – Fabio needs to play. He’s not getting enough opportunities here, so it’s a chance to go out and score goals and we’ll look at the future in the summer.

“It’s a big club playing in Europe, in a competition they had a good run in recently. Credit to Fabio, it’s a brave move because there was lots of interest and he could have stayed in his comfort zone, maybe with better weather than Scotland, or less competitive football, but he wanted to test him. It showed a good understanding of what he needs himself, so all parties are happy.

“In the summer we’ll sit down and see how it’s gone and make a decision on the next steps. I’ll go to watch him myself and he’s got some big games, so it should be a really good loan for developing Fabio.