Rangers boss Steven Gerrard’s urgency to boost his striking options has reached fever pitch after Alfredo Morelos reportedly agreed terms with French outfit Lille.
The Colombian striker has been on the radar of several top clubs in Europe after scoring 29 goals for the Gers last season as the club finished second in the Premiership and went on an impressive run in the Europa League. However, it seems Lille have won the race.
Reporter Mohamed Bouhafsi, of RMC Sport, tweeted: “Alfredo Morelos has agreed personal terms with Lille. The club is now negotiating with Rangers over a fee.”
Earlier this week, The Scottish Sun claimed Lille were ready to offer £15m for Morelos, with Rangers wanting closer to £20m.
During his often turbulent career at Rangers, Morelos has been linked with Premier League clubs Aston Villa, Crystal Palace, Everton, Leicester and Newcastle as well as a number of sides in Italy and Spain.
Morelos’ goal tally
Morelos has scored 77 goals in 137 games, despite rumours abounding of an imminent departure.
Meanwhile, it has been reported Rangers target Florian Kamberi has returned to Switzerland with three clubs – St Gallen, Young Boys and Basel – keen to sign him.
The Swiss striker spent the second half of last season on loan at Ibrox, scoring once, before the season was curtailed.
The Daily Record has reported Rangers could secure his signature for an initial fee of £100,000, with add-ons but Rangers were only interested in another loan.
Morelos’ final act for Rangers may have come as he stormed straight down the tunnel after being substituted in the friendly against Coventry City, which the Gers won 2-0 with goals from Joe Aribo and Connor Goldson.
Morelos appeared desperate to add to his goalscoring tally but, with Jermain Defoe injured, his manager was taking no chances ahead of next week’s Premiership opener against Aberdeen.
Gerrard told Premier Sports: “We don’t have a lot of options at number nine so I had to be sensible with Alfredo and get him off the pitch. I don’t need an injury or suspension in that area so that’s the reason I took him off.”
Rangers’ search for striking options is becoming desperate as they seek to stop Celtic grabbing the historic ten in a row.
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