Initial reports said Rangers had reached an agreement to sign the 21-year-old Colombian attacker, who has had difficulty adjusting to life in France following his £3.8 million summer transfer from Millonarios.
The most recent information, though, has partly put a stop to those rumors, and even if Rangers seem interested, a deal to bring Oscar Cortes to Ibrox hasn’t yet been signed, sealed, and delivered.
But when interest in Philippe Clement’s first transfer window grows and fans start to YouTube, what does Abdullah Sima’s Oscar Cortes move mean?
Injuries have left Abdallah Sima’s Ibrox future uncertain.
Senegal forward Abdallah Sima was forced to return home from the Africa Cup of Nations early due to a persistent injury that could sideline the Brighton loanee for up to three months.
Given that Abda scored 15 goals in the first half of the season and established himself as a vital member of the team, it is a significant setback to Rangers’ hopes.
When you consider that Sima’s agent claims the feelings are reciprocated and that Rangers are adamant about wanting to buy the Brighton attacker permanently for a reported £7 million, you can see that the problem extends beyond this campaign.
Philippe Clement, who reports that talks were taking place between Rangers and Brighton on where the forward should receive rehabilitation, has not yet provided confirmation of Sima’s situation.
Sima is still at Ibrox as of right now, and while his future with the Rangers is still very much in doubt, let’s hope he can return and contribute before the season ends.
Oscar Cortes approaches the Rangers swap
There are two factors that make the transfer intriguing in the context of Abdallah Sima as the Rangers close in on Oscar Cortes.
First of all, Cortes is undoubtedly well-positioned to step in and take Sima’s goal-scoring role, which will be severely missed over the remaining part of the season.
Second, though Cortes is capable of playing throughout the front three, Sima’s opposite side of the field, off the right, is where the Colombian youth international has been used most of the time.
This tells us that, while there is undoubtedly some cover in the transfer, the position was probably meant to be improved in the summer anyhow, regardless of Sima’s outcome.
This is something highlighted by the fact Rangers are only reportedly set to sign a loan with option to buy deal for the winger.
Perhaps the Abdallah Sima injury just sped things along for Rangers, and for us, the fact Oscar Cortes could be about to join Big Phil’s Rangers revolution will do little to impact Abdallah Sima’s long-term future at the club.
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