Rangers braced for huge ‘take it or leave it’ bid for star as West Brom circle – report
French club Lille will make a final ‘take-it-or-leave-it’ £18 million bid for Rangers striker Alfredo Morelos.
Morelos has been linked with a move away from Ibrox all summer, with Lille having a number of offers turned down for the Colombian forward.
The Scottish Sun reports that this will be Lille’s final offer for Morelos, who started and scored for Rangers in their 2-2 draw with Hibernian last weekend.
However, the report claims Premier League side West Brom are still interested as they look to bring a striker in.
It had been reported that Lille had already tabled the £18m bid but the Daily Record (live transfer blog, 8.41am) reported that this had been denied by sources close to Morelos.
However, it does look like the sizeable bid could be coming shortly.
They also say that this ‘take-it-or-leave-it’ offer comes as Lille club president Gerard Lopez will move on to other targets if Gers turn the offer down.
It will be some task for Rangers to replace Morelos, especially with the transfer window slamming shut in just two weeks. The question is, how quickly can the Gers replace a man who managed 29 goals and 10 assists in all competitions last term?
With the Colombian being tracked by Lille all summer, it would be frustrating for the Gers to lose such a vital player without having adequate time to replace him.
Over a month ago, ex-Rangers man Brian Laudrup spoke in The Daily Mail about how it would be better for all involved if the Morelos transfer saga ended quickly.
He said, “The quicker he leaves, the better I think it will be for Rangers Football Club.
“Morelos has come out so often and explained that he wants to play in one of the bigger leagues.
“For me, offloading him would be the best option for him, for the club and everyone else. It has to be done as quickly as possible, I think.”
Bearing in mind these comments were made in late August, it shows the tricky position Rangers are now in. They can sell Morelos for a substantial fee, but the Gers may not have the time to reinvest in the squad to replace the goals that Morelos guarantees.
In other Rangers news, Ibrox Exclusive: Euro journo claims Celtic player was ‘biggest competition’ for Rangers new boy.