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According to the Scottish Sun, Rangers manager Steven Gerrard is eyeing a loan return to Ibrox for Chelsea youngster Billy Gilmour. Gerrard is interested in a temporal move to bolster his midfield options as the club will compete on four fronts in the new year.
This will mark a return to Glasgow for Gilmour and the player is said to be relishing the prospect. The 19-year-old came through the Rangers Academy, having joined at eight years of age. However, he left to continue his development at Chelsea in 2017 without making a first-team appearance for the Scottish side.
Gilmour was handed his competitive senior debut in the Premier League for the Blues in August by Frank Lampard and he had a breakthrough performance in the team's FA Cup victory over Liverpool.
The midfielder continued to head in a positive direction and big things were expected of him until a serious injury hampered his progress. A knee injury sustained in July ruled him out for the next five months and he only recently made his return to competitive action.
The arrival of several new players at Chelsea in the last transfer window makes Gilmour's immediate future at Stamford Bridge uncertain and he could find playing time hard to come by.
However, Gilmour reminded fans of his ability with a starring performance in Chelsea's 1-1 draw with Krasnodar in the UEFA Champions League and was also named the Man of the Match.
A temporary move away from Chelsea to Rangers could improve Gilmour's Euro 2020 chances
Gilmour is yet to make an appearance for the senior Scotland national team and is still a member of the U-21 squad.
Considering that the 'Tartan Terriers' recently secured qualification for Euro 2020, Gilmour will be hoping to make Steve Clarke's squad for the European Championship. It is imperative that he secures regular playing time and a loan move away from Chelsea might be the best option for the player.
Frank Lampard has publicly praised the midfielder but the abundance of talent available to the Chelsea coach in midfield reduces the number of minutes he can afford Gilmour.
Rangers, on the other hand, need as many bodies as they can get in the middle of the park, considering the grueling nature of their current campaign.
Steven Gerrard's side have played 25 games in just four months this season, and rather remarkably, have remained unbeaten in all competitions.
They have already secured qualification to the Europa League Round-of-32 and the Scottish League Cup quarterfinals. A first league title in a decade also seems likely considering their explosive start to the league season.
The Rangers manager will welcome the addition of a midfielder as dynamic as Billy Gilmour. The young player could improve a midfield that already has the likes of Jack Ryan, Scott Arfield, Ryan Kent, as well as Nigeria international Joe Aribo.
