Feyenoord coach Arne Slot has indicated that striker Danilo is on the verge of joining Rangers after being left out of Thursday’s pre-season clash with Villareal.
The Brazilian was conspicuous by his absence as the Eredivisie champions were held to a 1-1 draw by their La Liga opponents.
Rangers, per Sky Sports, agreed an initial £5.2 million fee with Feyenoord earlier in the week. Danilo is likely to become Mick Beale’s eighth signing of a hectic summer, even if the Ibrox boss has played down suggestions that an unveiling is imminent.
Danilo’s absence from that Villarreal clash, meanwhile, was a further indication that he will indeed be on his way out of De Kuip at some point over the next week or so.
Rangers close in on Feyenoord striker Danilo
“It may be new to you, but he is also dealing with transfer issues,” a sarcastic Slot tells ESPN.
Speculation over Danilo’s future has certainly made a fair few headlines in the Rotterdam press this month. Feyenoord-specialist website 1908 report that he has already said his goodbyes and is no longer training with the first-team.
“(Danilo’s exit) is not excluded,” Slot adds. “We have received a good transfer fee for him.
“He is a player who played less and less in the second half of the season. So it is always a question of whether that player can stay in that (back-up) role for another year. Or whether he has more difficulty with it.
“For us, (a sale) was only interesting if there is a transfer fee that does justice to his qualities.”
With Feyenoord reportedly green-lighting Rangers’ latest offer – £5.2 million rising to £6 million – it seems that the Dutch champions believe they have received an acceptable fee for a player who started only 14 Eredivisie games in 2022/23 after losing his place to Santiago Gimenez.
Danilo, once of Ajax, still scored 14 goals in all competitions however. He will help Rangers move on from Alfredo Morelos and Antonio Colak, alongside fellow striker Cyriel Dessers.
