Linked to Rangers, the striker declines the opportunity to rejoin

Linked to Rangers, the striker declines the opportunity to rejoin the Scottish Premiership in a late transfer blow

An injury setback to Rangers’ hopes of acquiring former Motherwell attacker Kevin van Veen has come late in the transfer window.

Abdallah Sima, who recently suffered a major injury during training while playing for Senegal at the Africa Cup of Nations, is leaving a

hole that the Ibrox club is eager to fill with a striker in the last days of the transfer season.

Sima has scored 10 goals in 20 Premiership appearances for Rangers and has been a catalyst for the club’s

upturn in fortunes under Philippe Clement.

Although the precise duration of his ailment is yet unknown, manager Clement anticipates that he will miss a “long period” of time due

to the injury, which could endanger his team’s chances of winning the championship.

Van Veen’s expertise playing Scottish football made him an excellent alternative for Sima in the eyes of many supporters. The 32-year-

old was one of the division’s best scorers last season after scoring 25 goals in 38 games at Motherwell.

His performance earned him a transfer to FC Groningen, a second-tier Dutch team. He has only managed five goals in 14 games at his

new club, though, as he has failed to have the expected impact. The striker has only made four substitute

appearances in the previous five months and hasn’t started a game since October.

There had been talk of Van Veen returning to the Premiership after his recent banishment and Rangers’ need for a striker. But

according to rumors from Football Scotland, Vitesse, an Eredivisie team, is expected to chase Van Veen once they sell Said Humulic,

who is reportedly nearing a January transfer to Lokomotiv Moscow.

Van Veen’s suitability for sale has been previously stated by Groningen, but only permanently. Rangers is rumored to be among the

Scottish teams interested in the striker, although they only seem to want him on a short-term loan.

The sporting director of Groningen made the following statement regarding the future of the out-of-favor forward: “If there is interest

because Kevin is not playing, we will listen.” We’ll work with his exit if another club makes

a solid offer and the arrangement works well.”