Rangers striker Danilo joins Dutch side NEC on loan with option to buy

Rangers forward Danilo Pereira da Silva has joined Dutch side NEC Nijmegen on loan with an option to buy.

The striker arrived at Ibrox on a five-year contract from Feyenoord in a deal worth up to £6m in 2023.

He had been a long-term target of the club and became former manager Michael Beale’s eighth summer signing.

The Brazilian striker suffered bad luck with injuries early in his Ibrox spell – including a broken cheekbone – before a serious knee injury against Hearts, and only sporadically hit the heights of expectation that surrounded him.

He has now departed the club after Rangers signed striker Ryan Naderi in the last minutes of the transfer deadline window on Monday for a fee of £4.7m.

A Rangers statement read: “We can today confirm Danilo has joined NEC Nijmegen on a loan deal until the end of the season with an option to buy.

“Everyone at the club wishes Danilo well for his loan spell.”