Rangers have been preparing for life after Alfredo Morelos for – what seems – the entirety of the last two seasons, and Football Insider claims that his departure is closer than ever.
Morelos, prior to the January transfer window, appeared to be on the radar of several Premier League clubs with his record breaking exploits in the Europa League and his first goal for his country contributing to a staggering 28-goal tally before the winter break.
A fee of £20million was expected to be the asking price, however, with Dave King and Steven Gerrard branding him “not for sale” at any price – £50m was quoted at one point – it was either that or his last minute sending off against Celtic in the final fixture of 2019 that discouraged suitors.
The last few weeks have seen the Gers rumoured to be interested in a host of strikers, expected to be back-ups and alternate options, rather than replacements for Gerrard’s talismanic Colombian but there could be a couple of surprises.
Of the players that have been linked, Lyndon Dykes, Lyle Taylor and Lawrence Shankland would be expected to supplement the duo of Morelos and Jermain Defoe given their previous experience and profile.
Recent speculation linking Ivan Toney of Peterborough United would suggest that he is on a list of names of potential replacements given that Posh Director of Football, Barry Fry, claimed that it would take £15m for his services, despite the League 1 side admitting that he is up for sale due to the league being cancelled and them not making the Championship.
Josh Maja of Bordeaux was a name mentioned earlier in the year not long after football around to a halt and he would also command a significant transfer fee, not only that but his reported £57,000 a week wages wouldn’t exactly be those expected of a squad player.
With English football expected to start their 2020/21 season later than in Scotland, FIFA has confirmed that leagues affected in this way will have an extended transfer window which means that clubs like Rangers could face a nervous wait once their window shuts as they attempt to hold onto their key players.
In what is sure to be a huge season for Gerrard and his players, the last thing he would want is to lose such a valuable member of his squad that has delivered on so many high profile occasions – regardless of any offers that may tempt the board otherwise.