Rangers have already sold their own Lyall Cameron into a “world class” star.

Glasgow Rangers announced their first signing of the January transfer window during half-time of their Scottish Cup clash against Fraserburgh.

Rafael Fernandes paraded in front of the crowd at Ibrox and the defender arrived from Lille on a six-month loan until the summer, when the Light Blues have an option to buy.

This could be a smart move. If the young man is well, Philippe Clement will be able to secure a permanent contract for the central defender. If not, then Fernandes will return to his parent club.

More than one signing will be needed, especially if the manager aims to win the Scottish Cup and go as far as possible in the Europa League.

A lot of players have been linked with a move to Ibrox, but a lot will depend on Clement’s budget and whether he has significant funds to sign players on a permanent deal.

Thinking ahead to the summer is also something a manager can plan for. There are several players the club have been linked with who are out of contract at the end of the season, meaning a pre-contract could be signed as early as this month.

Lyall Cameron is one of them and the midfielder would be a valuable addition to the first team.

Rangers target Lyall Cameron

Signing new Scottish talent is something the club should be doing, strengthening their domestic options in a process that is ideal for European competition.

According to the Rangers Review last week, The Light Blues are showing interest in Cameron ahead of a potential move for the youngster.

Despite being offered a new contract by Dundee, the Scot is expected to leave Dens Park as soon as possible. It remains to be seen whether the Gers will make an approach this month, perhaps strike a bargain deal or just agree terms and bring him to the club in the summer.

Lyall Cameron’s season in numbers

The midfielder has been in good form this season. Through 28 games in all competitionsThe 22-year-old not only scored eight times, but the midfielder also registered seven assists, showing his attacking qualities from the heart of midfield.

Furthermore, Cameron is too created four great opportunitieshe averages 1.6 key passes per game and registers 1.5 tackles per game in the Premiership, showing that he likes to progress into the final third with ease to make things happen for Dundee.

As shown in the diagram below (via Rangers Review), the midfielder gets into excellent shooting positions, hitting 34 shots in the Premiership at the time of writing.

Not one to shy away from the defensive tasks required to make Dundee a top-six contender, Cameron won a total of 3.8 duels per game with a league-best 5.4 rebounds and one sack per game.

These all-round qualities mean that bringing him to Ibrox as soon as possible is a no-brainer for Clement. That is a certainty.

While there are some exciting players in this position, including Nic Raskin, Connor Barron and Mohamed Diomande, another Scottish talent wouldn’t go amiss.

However, in 2017 the Light Blues lost arguably one of the best Scottish talents of the previous ten years, and he is someone who offers the same attributes as Cameron.

Rangers already had their own Lyall Cameron

Billy Gilmour he has gone from strength to strength since leaving Rangers all those years ago, but imagine if he had stayed at the club?

Rangers have produced some excellent midfielders over the years. From Ian Durrant to Barry Ferguson, there have always been some wonderful youngsters emerging through the youth system.

Gilmour was certainly a player who had a very bright future in the game, and it certainly won’t be long before he makes his debut for the Gers. Indeed, it seemed as if it was then The 15-year-old was about to enter the record books playing against Hamilton in a 2017 Scottish Cup match.

Before the game, Graeme Murty told Gilmour that he would not be on the bench for this clash and this made his departure worse, with Chelsea pay 500 thousand pounds secure his signature as soon as he turns 16.

Frank Lampard handed the youngster his Chelsea debut during the 2019/20 season, giving him the confidence to shine for the Blues.

Former Gers boss Mark Warburton praised the Scot at this stagesaying: “What a talent. I think Scotland have a future world-class midfielder, I really do. Especially under Frank Lampard, who has so far brought the best out of other youngsters such as Mason Mount and Tammy Abraham, Gilmour will undoubtedly have allowed his true potential bursts forth.”

He ended up winning the Champions League in 2021 before moving to Brighton to become a Premier League regular.

Gilmour has since impressed in Serie A since joining Napoli last summer. Not only does he have an A average pass success rate of 90%, but the former Gers starlet was successful on 67% of his dribbles and won 52% of his total tackles per game in Italy’s top flight.

He doesn’t have the same attacking qualities as Cameron, but the technical level certainly has similarities, there’s no doubt about that. The Rangers will surely regret not being able to keep Gilmour eight years ago.

It may have been the move away from Ibrox that pushed the youngster to reach new heights, however, he would not have won a Champions League winner’s medal had he not moved to Chelsea when he did.

He’s another runaway talent. If Clement can lure Cameron to Glasgow, the 22-year-old could be set for the next steps in his embryonic career.

This will allow him to play regularly in Europe, while also challenging for trophies during his time at the club.

Now it’s up to Clement and Nils Koppen to complete the deal as soon as possible or they will regret missing out.