Rangers may have to pay a sizeable sum in wages if they want to sign Fabio Silva on loan from Premier League outfit Wolverhampton Wanderers with Old Firm rivals Celtic opening talks.
After reports over in Portugal suggested that we could be in for a good old-fashioned Rangers vs Celtic battle – with Fabio Silva’s signature the prize on offer – the men in green appear to have stolen a march on those dressed up in blue.
Celtic, Football Scotland report, have ‘made contact’ with Wolves. If Rangers plan to do the same – a striker one of Philippe Clement’s priorities during the January transfer window – then they must first decide if the deal makes sense from a financial perspective.
Fabio Silva won’t come cheap -even on loan
According to Alfredo Pedulla, an Italian reporter, any club looking to sign Silva on loan from January to June must part with around one million euros in wages. As such, should the Portugal U21 international arrive at Ibrox on January 1st, he would set the Glasgow giants back around £17,000-a-week, if our calculations are correct.
Of course, Silva could repay that investment with a glut of goals, Rangers looking to build on that League Cup triumph and snatch the Premiership title from under the nose of their local rivals.
Rangers want Wolves benchwarmer
Silva, who once joined Wolves in a £35 million deal from FC Porto while still a teenager, actually scored 16 goals last season during loan spells at Anderlecht and PSV Eindhoven.
There is, Pedulla adds, interest from Serie A duo Monza and Genoa too. A number of Bundesliga and La Liga clubs have also been linked, meaning Rangers must fight off competition from both at home and abroad if they want to offer an opportunity to a striker who has played just 17 Premier League minutes for Wolves since mid-September.
“(Signing a striker) will be one of the priorities,” Clement said after losing Danilo to a serious knee injury a few weeks ago.
Danilo has since been joined in the treatment room by Kemar Roofe. Clement may lose Cryiel Dessers and Abdallah Sima to the Africa Cup of Nations too.
