It appears Glasgow Rangers have been handed yet another transfer blow in their hopes of signing Wigan Athletic striker Kyle Joseph this month after it was revealed that he has suffered an injury and now faces a spell on the sidelines.

What's the word?

With Jermain Defoe and Greg Stewart entering the twilight of their careers, Rangers have been linked with a number of strikers across Europe as Steven Gerrard seeks to breathe new life into his squad in January.

Joseph has been one such name, with reports in recent weeks revealing Rangers have entered the race to sign the teenage striker from Wigan, with Championship club Barnsley and Premier League giants Tottenham Hotspur also among the interested parties.

The 19-year-old is out-of-contract at the end of the season and will be available to sign for free once his current deal expires in the summer. However, the League One strugglers find themselves in financial difficulty due to the unprecedented circumstances and could be persuaded to sell the Scotland U21 target man if he agrees a deal with another club.

But the best-laid plans often go awry, as The Sun's Alan Nixon confirmed he has picked up an injury, which has seemingly ruled him out of a possible move this month.

Ross Wilson will have to wait

A dream move to his home country could've been on the cards for a teenager tipped for the very top by Leam Richardson.

It's fair to say that Joseph has been one of the standout performers for the struggling Latics this season and with less than six months left to run on his current deal, he could've been in line to complete a move to the Govan side of Glasgow.

Yet, despite playing 70' minutes on Tuesday in the 5-0 defeat to Blackpool, Nixon revealed he has sustained a knock which may have put paid to any potential transfer.

From what the journalist suggests, therefore, it sounds like he will be staying put at the DW Stadium as he works his way back to fitness, which will come as a big blow for Ross Wilson, who is making steps to reduce the squad's average age, which is still high despite the pre-contract signings of Scott Wright and Jack Simpson.

Having a player like Joseph at their disposal could have been a shrewd investment for the future as Stewart seems destined for the Ibrox exit.

The centre-forward, who has scored five times in 16 appearances across all competitions this season, is held in high regard by his Wigan teammates with former Rangers youth prospect Kal Naismith effusive in his praise for Joseph.

He said: “He’ll be a top player, a really, really good player and he works his nuts off not just in the games but all week in training as well, he has a great appetite for the game and a great attitude – I enjoy playing with him, he did a lot of work for me in what was my first game back after not having a lot of training.”

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