Nikica Jelavic set to complete Rangers move after being granted work permit
Nikica Jelavic is on the verge of formally completing his transfer from Rapid Vienna to Scottish Premier League giants Rangers after having a work permit granted by British authorities.
The SPL champions had agreed a £4m deal with Rapid for the striker and Jelavic underwent a medical exam. The move was completed pending the outcome of a work permit application, and the Glasgow club have confirmed that the striker is now able to play for the club.
If the paperwork is finalised before 1700 BST on Friday, then the 24-year-old will be able to make his debut for Walter Smith’s men against St Johnstone on Saturday. Rangers will assess the player before making a decision on whether he is ready to play in the league match.
'Selection problem'
First-team coach Kenny McDowall told the Rangers TV channel that: "We'll have a look at him in training then have a meeting regarding what our team will be this weekend. It's nice to have a bit of a selection problem because we've got the most legs going forward that we've had in the squad now for some time."
The Croatia international had cited Rangers' participation in the UEFA Champions League as one of his main reasons for wanting to move to Ibrox. However, he will only be able to feature in the competition if Aston Villa dump his former club out of the UEFA Europa League tonight.
Champions League dream
He told the Rangers official website today that: "To play in the Champions League with Rangers would be fantastic. It is a dream of mine. I have to hope that my old team loses but this is football. I will, of course, be very interested to see what happens at Villa Park."
In 93 games for Rapid Jelavic netted 38 times, including 28 strikes in 48 matches last season. It is that good goalscoring record which attracted the attentions of Smith, who is looking for a proven striker to replace the departed Kris Boyd — the SPL’s all-time leading scorer.
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