Rangers announce loan signing of Lille defender Rafael Fernandes

Rangers have signed Lille defender Rafael Fernandes on loan, with an option to buy the player this summer.

The 22-year-old Portuguese centre-back has moved to Glasgow with Rangers hoping he will “provide competition and cover” in defence and develop his potential if he remains beyond the end of the season.

Rangers have suffered a series of defensive injuries this season, leaving manager Philippe Clement short on numbers, and he will now count Fernandes among his options.

The defender came through the ranks at Sporting Lisbon and then played for Arouca in the Primiera Liga for two years before being recruited by Lille a year ago.

While Fernandes has been involved in a number of matchday squads, he has not made the breakthrough into Lille’s team and moves to Glasgow hoping to progress his career.

“I am really pleased to welcome Rafael to the squad,” Clement said. “He is a young defender who brings with him a lot of qualities which will be an asset for our team for the remainder of this season.

“He has a lot of potential, and I am looking forward to working with him.”

💙 We are delighted to announce the signing of Rafael Fernandes on loan from @losclive, subject to international clearance.

All the info ⤵️
— Rangers Football Club (@RangersFC) January 18, 2025

Fernandes said that he is looking forward to the next chapter of his career.

“I am very happy to be here,” he said. “It was a club I wanted to come to since I heard about the interest, and I am really happy to finally to be here.

“My first impressions have been really good, I met some of my colleagues, some of the staff and all of them made me comfortable to start this new challenge.”

Rangers technical director Nils Koppen said: “It is fantastic to have Rafael joining Rangers for the remainder of the season and he is another exciting young talent to add to our squad.

“We identified the defensive area as one we wanted to strengthen this window, and it is great to be able to add Rafael.

“I am sure he can continue to develop his game at Rangers, and I look forward to seeing him challenging our defensive players for playing time in the weeks and months ahead, and potentially into the seasons ahead also.”