Fabio Silva claims that if it were completely up to him, then he’d extend his stay at Rangers at the earliest possible convenience.
The Portuguese attacker, 21, has begun to find not just his feet at Ibrox, but also a much-needed home after striking a mazy path around Europe since leaving Portugal.
But whilst stints at Wolves, Anderlecht, and PSV Eindhoven have failed to strike a chord with the £35m ex-FC Porto striker, Rangers has resonated.
So much so that the forward – once tipped to emulate Cristiano Ronaldo’s contribution to the beautiful game – is ready to sign on at Rangers for another go at things at Ibrox.
Fabio Silva open to longer Rangers stay
Speaking after the 2-0 Scottish Cup victory over Hibs – where Fabio Silva scored the second goal of the game – the striker certainly appeared open to joining Rangers longer-term.
Whilst Silva admitted that much of the decision lies with parent club Wolves, it’s clear Rangers are very much at the forefront of his thinking ahead of next season.
“I love to be here,” Fabio Silva told BBC Sport. “You know, in football, in life, I don’t control these things 100% so it’s not my decision 100% to stay here.
“If it depends on me, maybe yes. After I will have to see because as I say I can say yes and then after you have a lot of things around that to take care.
“So it’s not my job 100%, maybe on that part I have the least work to do to stay here.
“But this is not the most important now. We have two months to enjoy football, to win titles.
“If we win titles and everything is going the right way, Rangers and me we are going to do everything for me to stay.”
Given the sorts of fees attached to Fabio Silva, we suspect any extension would probably involve a loan deal but it’s certainly got Rangers fans talking.
Away from just singing a quality European talent, any transfer also highlights Rangers’ growing success in proving a stable platform for top young players to take the next step in their careers.
Top global talent now heading to Ibrox?
With Rangers striking a chord with Abdallah Sima, Mohamed Diomande, Oscar Cortes, and even last season Malik Tillman, the club is proving itself a steady haven for young talents looking to progress.
Abdallah Sima has toiled since signing for Brighton, Oscar Cortes struggled in France, Malik Tillman needed to spread his wings from Bayern, Mohamed Diomande has made a statement move.
Including Fabio Silva – and perhaps throwing Ridvan Yilmaz into the mix – these guys are treading a new recruitment path Rangers will hope becomes well travelled in the years ahead.
If the club can sell itself as a solid base from which to take those all-important pre-elite steps, it bodes well when it comes to securing this level of talent if even on a short-term basis.
The true test will not just be how these guys do at Rangers but also what they go on to achieve in the game afterwards.
But if Malik Tillman is anything to go by, Rangers are starting to get it right and something tells us that Fabio Silva won’t be the last one-time wonderkid to press restart in Glasgow.
