Rangers transfer deadline day: Signing imminent, left-back blow, Shankland interest, late moves, possible exits

What to expect at Rangers on the final day of the January transfer window

Rangers are expected to complete the loan signing of Lens winger Oscar Cortes on deadline day. (Photo by FRANCOIS LO PRESTI/AFP via Getty Images)

Rangers manager Philippe Clement will be focusing on adding new faces to his squad on transfer deadline day – with departures also possible.

The Ibrox side have already brought in two new recruits in the January window, acquiring forward Fabio Silva on loan from Wolves and signing midfielder Mohamed Diomande from FC Nordsjælland for a fee in exess of £4m.

Lens winger Oscar Cortes is expected to become the third capture with reports indicating that an agreement has been reached pending a medical that will see the 20-year-old Colombian winger join Rangers on loan for the remainder of the season with an option to buy. Cortes was signed by Lens in the summer from Millonarios in his homeland for a fee of £3.8m and has registered one goal and one assist despite managing just 40 minutes of Ligue 1 action this season.

Rangers hopes of also adding Brazilian left-back Jefte before the deadline have suffered a blow with the proposed transfer now put off until the summer after a deal could not be struck between his parent club, Fluminese, and his current loan club in Cyprus, APOEL. Transfer guru Fabrizio Romano posted on X: “Jefte-Rangers deal has collapsed as Apoel are not willing to break the loan for the second half of the season… but I’m told Rangers have verbal pact in place to reactive the option to sign Jefte in the summer transfer window. Deal could really happen in June.”

The failure to secure their top left-back target will likely mean that Ridvan Yilmaz will remain a Rangers player until the end of the season. The Turkey international was a target for Galatasaray and would have likely been permitted to leave if Jefte was signed, but the transfer of Yilmaz back to his homeland will now have to wait until the summer.

One player who could depart on deadline day, however, is midfielder Jose Cifuentes. The £1.2m summer signing from Los Angeles FC has failed to make much impression at Ibrox and has barely featured under new manager Clement in recent weeks. Rangers accepted a bid from Turkish side Rizespor but the Ecuadorian international is said to be not keen on the move. Reports in South America now claim a switch to Brazilian side Cruzeiro could be on the cards.

Meanwhile, striker Cyriel Dessers has emerged as a shock target for clubs in Italy. According to Sky Sports journalist Gianluca Di Marzio, the £4.3m summer signing from Cremonese is attracting late January interest from Serie A duo Hellas Verona and Torino. Dessers, who has been a regular starter under Clement recently, has notched 12 goals and seven assists in 32 appearances for the Ibrox side this season. A surprise exit for the Nigerian international would appear unlikely, however, as Rangers are light in the forward areas due to injuries to Kemar Roofe, Danilo and Abdallah Sima, with Clement keen to strengthen his attacking options rather than weaken them ahead of Thursday's 11.30pm transfer deadline.

That could see Rangers move for another striker before close of play although the prospect of Lawrence Shankland rocking up at Ibrox would appear slim due to the £5m asking price set by Hearts. Rangers are known to be interested in the 28-year-old Scotland international with scouts having watched him score his 19th goal of the season in a 2-0 win over Aberdeen on Saturday, but with Hearts playing hard ball, it may be something they revisit in the summer, particularly if Shankland rejects the contract offer currently on the table that would make him the Tynecastle club's highest paid player. By then, he will have just 12 months left on his deal and Hearts would be under more pressure to cash in before the door opens for him to sign a pre-contract elsewhere in January next year.

A more likely deadline day swoop would involve a loan move until the end of the season to help cover for the loss of Danilo and Sima, and provide further competition for Silva and Dessers in the number nine position. Watch this space.