Rangers have been handed an apparent transfer blow after Jim White claimed on Twitter that Chelsea are unwilling to loan out Billy Gilmour.
The Scottish Sun reported on Tuesday night that the Gers had made an approach for the teenage midfielder with a view to signing him on a temporary deal in January.
Gilmour began his career with Rangers, starring for age-group sides before moving to Stamford Bridge in 2017 for a fee that’s now believed to be in the region of £2m [The Sunday Post].
The Scotland youth international impressed in the Chelsea first-team last season, even winning a Man of the Match award in an FA Cup win over Liverpool, but a knee injury has disrupted his progress and with the Blues signing a number of players during the summer window, there’s now more competition for places.
However, senior Sky Sports and talkSPORT presenter Jim White has claimed on Twitter that the Premier League club have no intention of letting Gilmour leave.
“I understand @ChelseaFC have no plans to loan rising star Billy Gilmour to @RangersFC or anyone else right now – he’s a big part of the plans at the London club,” he wrote.
Gilmour is yet to feature in a Premier League game this season, but he played the full 90 minutes of a 1-1 draw against Kuban Krasnodar in the Champions League on Tuesday night.
After hailing his performance as “outstanding”, Frank Lampard suggested more opportunities would follow over the coming weeks.
“I expect to see more of the same from Billy as he gets stronger now he is past his injury” [Sky Sports].
A deal for Gilmour may be unlikely, but Rangers could still strengthen in other areas in January, with fans excited amid links to a South American striker.
