Rangers have received a major blow in their pursuit of Silas Andersen after the BK Hacken midfielder agreed to move elsewhere.
The Light Blues are expected to bolster their options in midfield this summer, especially with Nicolas Raskin and Mohamed Diomande tipped to leave.
Signing a defensive-minded midfielder has been identified as a transfer priority this summer, and several targets have already been identified.
Among them is Andersen, who appeared to be a part of Stig Inge Bjornebye’s Scandinavian recommendations.
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Sporting CP agree £6.5m deal to sign Andersen
However, Rangers can shelve their hopes of signing Andersen, as Sporting CP have already agreed a deal to acquire his services.
According to Tipsbladet, the Portuguese giants have struck an agreement to sign the 21-year-old for an initial sum of £6.5million after lengthy negotiations.
The Danish sports magazine reported two weeks ago that Sporting had submitted a £6m offer for the Denmark Under-21 international.
It appears both clubs have now shaken hands on a £6.5m fee, with the total sum potentially reaching £8.65m after add-ons.
There is also a sell-on clause included in the agreement, which will see Hacken receive a percentage of any profit Sporting make on Andersen’s sale in the future.
Meanwhile, the Dane is scheduled to fly to Lisbon on Friday, with a medical already scheduled to take place on Saturday.
If all goes to plan, he will put pen to paper on a five-year deal until 2031 with the Primeira Liga heavyweights.
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Rangers never had chance for Andersen
Andersen’s agent, Niclas Jensen, recently mentioned that “big” clubs from Germany and Portugal had shown interest in the player this summer.
With the Bundesliga and the Primeira Liga representing a much more enticing prospect, it is safe to say Rangers always faced an uphill battle to sign the midfielder.
While the Gers deserve some plaudits for their ambition in the transfer market, they must now turn their attention towards more attainable targets.
The Ibrox outfit have been linked with several other midfielders, including Motherwell’s Elliot Watt, Hearts’ Cammy Devlin and Sunderland’s Dan Neil.
