Last month, we covered reports suggesting that a player who ended the 2023/24 campaign as a Rangers player could begin the next one in the red and black of AC Milan.
Not only are the seven-time European champions keen, at least according to those in the media, they may also end up putting £20 million on the table.
Unfortunately for Rangers, it will not be them tossing pound notes in the air and turning Ibrox into something akin to the Crystal Maze dome. Fabio Silva is a Wolves player, not a Rangers one, and his loan spell on the blue side of Glasgow is unlikely to be followed up by a sequel.
Philippe Clement’s side have already brought Oscar Cortes back from RC Lens, and also have an interest in South African starlet Rele Mofokeng. What’s more, if Rangers do look to make one of last season’s loanees into a permanent squad member, it will be Abdallah Sima, not Fabio Silva.
But where next for a man who’s transfer fee – Wolves paid £35 million to FC Porto when he was just 18 – continues to hang like a millstone around his neck?
Rangers beat Italian clubs to signing Fabio Silva from Wolves
Carlos Oliveira, Silva’s agent, spoke to Italian publication Tuttomercatoweb on Sunday. And he believes that, amid links with Milan and Sevilla, a fresh start in either Italy or Spain would be a sensible next step.
“I think (Serie A) is an excellent championship for him,” Oliveira explains. “We are prioritising the Spanish and Italian markets for next season. I believe that one of the two championships will be the next step for Fabio.
“Fabio is among (Bologna and Fiorentina’s) options. Bologna’s sporting director, Marco Di Vaio, appreciates Fabio. Raffaele Palladino, Fiorentina’s new coach, also likes him a lot. We will have to wait and see how the market evolves, also because there are some clubs that need to sell before making new additions.”
Silva’s father admitted to the Daily Record recently that Rangers’ Old Firm rivals Celtic were in the mix before he put pen to paper at Ibrox. Oliveira now reveals that The Gers not only fought off competition from across Glasgow, but across the continent.
Wolves exit likely this summer
“There was a lot of interest (from Serie A clubs) at the beginning of the season and then also in January,” he adds. “The Italian market is a bit particular. Many clubs conclude their final transfer deals in the last few days.”
Rangers, then, stole a march by sealing a deal for Silva before the Hogmanay celebrations even got underway. With only six goals in 25 appearances, however, the Portugal Under 21 international found himself comfortably overshadowed by fellow Premier League misfit Sima in Scotland.
That has not stopped his agent from attempting to drum up support and interest, however, even if it feels a little ambitious to compare Silva with two of the finest centre-forwards of their generation.
“I think he looks a lot like Edinson Cavani or Diego Forlan,” adds Oliveira, drawing comparisons with the Uruguayan icons. “If he finds the right environment in my opinion he can, when he is 24 or 25 years old, become one of the best strikers in Europe.”
“I believe it is essential that he manages to stabilise himself in a club where he feels the trust of the club, and where he can have good playing time for at least two seasons in a row. He is still very young. He is 21 years old and has immense potential.
“He’ll have to work hard and stay focused on his goals. The striker is a particular role, many mature over time and patience is needed.”
That is certainly the case of Forlan; goals hard to come by at Manchester United but flowing in La Liga with Villarreal and Atletico Madrid.
