By Sam Stone

17th Mar, 2023 | 8:10am

Alfredo Morelos exit now likely after new Rangers scouting mission

Rangers have been linked with a move for Swansea City striker Joel Piroe – and that could have all but confirmed Alfredo Morelos’ Ibrox departure.

Football League World claim (15 March) the Light Blues have scouted the 23-year-old Dutch striker, with there also being plenty of interested parties south of the border. Piroe has 14 goals in all competitions in the 2022/23 campaign and has been one of the Swans’ standout performers.

Morelos’ future has been a big talking point in recent weeks and it appears extremely unlikely that the Colombian will commit his long-term future to the club.

Vamos Mi Sevilla claimed (10 March) he was closing in on a move to Sevilla, however, as of yet, no concrete reports have emerged. He has been impressive under Michael Beale but has fallen down the pecking order in recent weeks.

Antonio Colak has been Beale’s go-to and it’s easy to understand why. The Rangers boss needs to start planning ahead and including a player who is unlikely to be at the club doesn’t make sense.

A replacement is required and the links to Piroe could indicate that any hope of a new contract has reached an impasse. Another striker would certainly be required if Morelos did depart and the Swansea talisman would be an excellent pick-up.

The Gers have also been long-term admirers of Piroe’s teammate Morgan Whittaker, and it will be interesting to see if the board reignite their move for the former Plymouth loanee in the summer window.

As the season nears its conclusion there will be plenty of other names linked to the Gers as Beale looks to perform major surgery on his squad.

In other Rangers news, the club are in line for a multi-million windfall from the Premier League after a £10m Auchenhowie milestone was reached.