Rangers manager Steven Gerrard reportedly made Liverpool’s Premier League striker Dominic Solanke his top target at the start of the summer transfer window.
Gelson Dala may be just 22 but he is already establishing a reputation as a prolific goalscorer.
The Sporting Lisbon youngster has scored 17 times in 23 games for the club’s B team and netted two in four since moving on loan to Rio Ave in the summer. And that is without mentioning his terrific record at international level for Angola. 18 caps have resulted in nine goals.
So even though he is yet to make his mark in Sporting’s first-team, you can see why Liverpool are keen. According to A Bola, Liverpool are at the front of the queue with clubs in England eyeing up the highly-rated Gelson.
But what does this mean for Rangers? Potentially, it could give Steven Gerrard fresh hope of signing a player who the Scottish Sun claimed was his number one summer target in June – Dominic Solanke.
Gerrard allegedly wanted to use his Anfield connections to bring the England international striker to Ibrox for the season. And, according to the Evening Standard, Rangers did make a bid, though Liverpool felt Solanke would be better off staying on Merseyside.
The 20-year-old has since failed to feature in any of Liverpool’s games so far in 2018/19. The return of Daniel Sturridge has left Solanke even further down the pecking order and, should Gelson arrive in the New Year, his chances of regular minutes would diminish again. There’s Divock Origi to worry about too.
So Gerrard and Rangers should watch this situation closely. With Europa League football on the agenda, with Alfredo Morelos combustible and Umar Sadiq out of favour, The Gers need all the depth they can get in attack and a short-term loan at Ibrox could be the opportunity Solanke needs.
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