“Could play into Rangers’ hands”: Journalist provides an update on a possible striker signing following Silva.

The Gers could add more firepower to their attack in January, and their pursuit of former Motherwell star Kevin van Veen has been boosted.

Rangers’ interest in FC Groningen centre forward Kevin van Veen is growing, and transfer insider Dean Jones, speaking to GIVEMESPORT, revealed a factor that could play into Philippe Clement’s side’s hands if they decide to make a bid.

The Scottish Premiership has largely become a two-horse race this season, with arch-rivals Celtic and Rangers competing to be crowned the nation’s champions, though the latter’s hopes of achieving glory were dashed recently after suffering a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Brendan Rodgers and his men.

Rangers have struggled to find the back of the net in comparison to Celtic and could look to relieve the goalscoring burden on the likes of Cyriel Dessers and Abdallah Sima with a new striker signing in the mid-season window.

The Rangers’ pursuit of van Veen has received a boost.

What better way to solve your goal-scoring problems than to sign a striker with a proven track record in the same league as you? Van Veen, who is a target for Clement and his entourage, scored 40 goals in 83 games for Motherwell and would almost certainly replicate that form if he moved to Glasgow this January.

The seasoned frontman, 32, has only scored five goals for his new club since leaving Scottish football for a fee around £500,000 in the summer. According to the report, his previous employers, Motherwell, were hesitant to cut ties with the striker, but they were forced to do so in order to remain financially stable in the medium and long term.

Rangers are interested in signing him, so a return to Scotland could be on the cards. Rangers have made ‘initial transfer contact’ with the proven goalscorer, according to football.scotland. With Clement previously stating that bringing in a new striker in January is near the top of his priority list, that, combined with van Veen’s willingness to consider other options, could be the deciding factor in whether or not their pursuit is successful.

Their pursuit of van Veen has also received a boost, with Groningen sporting director Wouter Gudde emphasising that any offers for the seasoned striker would be considered. He stated:

“I talk to Kevin on the phone almost every day and if there is interest because he is not playing, we will listen. If another club makes a concrete offer and the solution is good, we will cooperate with his departure.”

Van Veen to Rangers, according to Dean Jones

Jones believes that signing van Veen during the mid-season window would give the Gers a ‘big lift’ in terms of their season prospects, but he is sceptical that they will go all the way by doing so. Because his free-scoring abilities have previously been used in the Scottish top flight, the transfer insider believes he may have a ‘little edge’ over other potential options.

He suggested that his personal changes as a result of his gambling addiction could certainly work in Rangers’ favour if they pursue the former Northampton Town marksman, who has a strong affinity for Scotland. Although he did suggest that the move itself is intriguing, he made sure to downplay any links between the two as things currently stand. Jones explained to GIVEMESPORT:

“In terms of what you’d be getting for the second half of the season, it would be a big lift. I’m just not convinced that they’ll actually go ahead with it. There are obvious reasons to feel that the links might fit and the fact that he got 20 goals in the SPL last time out gives them a little edge on other targets they might be looking at in a moment like this. I think the most intriguing factor around it is that is life situation seems to have changed, and his personal life might mean that he is interested in a move back to Scotland so that could play into Rangers’ hands here. It’s definitely an interesting one to consider, but I’m not sure that there’s loads in it at the moment.”

Rangers’ most recent transfer news, including Shankland’s departure

Rangers have already added some firepower to their attack with the signing of former Wolverhampton Wanderers forward Fabio Silva on loan for the rest of the season at the end of December. The Portuguese 21-year-old has already made his Rangers debut, coming off the bench for a 19-minute cameo against Kilmarnock, but Clement and co. are keen to add to their options up front for the latter stages of 2023/24.

As a result, Hearts forward Lawrence Shankland is being tracked by the club, though Football Insider reports that a January move for the 28-year-old is unlikely due to the fee involved. His employers value him at £3 million, so the asking price will most likely rule the Gers out of a move for the time being unless they can increase their kitty by offloading current players. Jones recently told GIVEMESPORT that there is definitely ‘transfer potential’ with Shankland, and the fact that he was seen liking pictures of Rangers lifting silverware online just added fuel to the fire, but whether they can get a deal done remains to be seen.

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