Rangers lessons learned as middle ground to be found on Igamane exit – Exclusive
Rangers look set to cash in on Hamza Igamane this summer.
The Moroccan striker hit 16 goals last season, but Russell Martin is keen to sell him and reinvest the money in new players.
A keen point of debate surrounds the potential transfer fee for this deal. Rangers supposedly want at least £15million, while others have suggested they’ll be unlikely to get that.
Billy Dodds, who was part of Rangers’ coaching staff last season, recently said that Igamane wasn’t worth more than a “few million”.
Rangers cannot overprice Igamane
Lille are favourites to sign Igamane, although a transfer fee hasn’t been agreed with Rangers yet.
In an exclusive interview with Ibrox News, former Rangers star Derek Ferguson suggested that the fee would likely be slightly lower than Rangers £15m valuation, with the Gers eager to learn from the past.
He said: “The comments from Billy say a lot. He’s not a bad judge of a player at all. There would have been a reason he didn’t play towards the end of last season.
“I just think he’s a young guy who’s come in from a different culture, and we can’t be too quick to judge.
“It’s interesting to hear what Billy says about the valuation. You’d imagine a middle ground will have to be found.
“Rangers have made mistakes in the past in letting players go on the cheap, and they won’t want to go down that route with Igamane.“
Igamane sale best for Rangers if Martin doesn’t fancy him
It was expected that Rangers would be busy in this summer’s transfer window following the takeover from Andrew Cavenagh and 49ers Enterprises.
They’ve bought well so far, although it’s widely suggested more signings will be needed if they’re to give themselves a chance of toppling Celtic.
The imminent signing of Djeidi Gassama at Ibrox will strengthen the squad further.
| Appearances | Minutes Played | Goals | Assists |
| 43 | 2473 | 16 | 2 |
In a perfect world, they wouldn’t have to sell any existing stars to fund this transfer spree, particularly those with as much potential as Igamane.
Still, if Martin doesn’t fancy him, it’s best to sell the Moroccan now while his stock is high. Rangers will get a higher transfer fee selling him now than after he’s been rotting on the substitutes’ bench.
Nico Raskin and Cyriel Dessers have also been linked with big-money transfers this summer, despite playing well during their time at Ibrox.
These decisions will only be justified if Martin can attract replacements who are even better.
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