Former Scotland defender Alan Hutton has explained why Rangers are right to scrap talks to renew Alfredo Morelos’ contract.
Reports at the end of March suggested the Gers have walked away from the negotiating table as the hierarchy at Ibrox do not wish to rush into handing Morelos new and improved terms, despite being in talks since January.
Rangers were planning on rewarding Morelos for his efforts under Steven Gerrard this season, but the uncertainty over the future of the current campaign amid the coronavirus pandemic has shifted the focus.
Morelos was courted by Tottenham Hotspur and Inter Milan during the winter market but was denied a move away from Glasgow, with Gers chiefs well aware they can demand a fee of more than £15million for the 23-year-old.
Hutton would expect Rangers to stand firm in the summer and demand a lofty fee once more, which would only rise were Morelos to sign a new deal that sees the seven-time Colombia international’s wage rise above his current terms, which are said to be worth more than £30,000-per-week.
“In terms of Scottish football, that’s massive money – that’s one of your top earners in the whole league,” Hutton told Football Insider. “He’s on a great contract as we speak.
“Possibly looking to give him better terms would have been knowing some team would come in for him in the summer. Obviously, on a longer contract, on better terms, you’re going to demand a bigger fee.
“Maybe they were thinking along those lines, but with this virus and everything that’s going on, it’s very difficult times at the moment. There’s no money really coming in and looking to renew contracts for players on big wages, it’s very difficult.
“There’s too many things up in the air, it’s too difficult to even think about the near future to be offering contracts to players that have already got three years left.”
Morelos has been a key part of Gerrard’s plans this season, with the centre-forward featuring in 46 games across all competitions and scoring a team-high 29 goals.
Without Morelos’ direct contribution to the scoring, Rangers would have fallen to defeats in the Europa League Group Stage to FC Porto, Feyenoord and BSC Young Boys, while losing to Hearts and drawing with Kilmarnock during the Premiership term.
Rangers may have other priorities right now, but securing Morelos to an even-more lucrative contract would better-place the Ibrox outfit in retaining the striker this summer, or at least demanding a substantial fee in order to release him.
In other Rangers news, Gerrard is ‘weighing up’ an approach to a 14-time international defender who is on course to leave his current side this summer.