In the summer of 2020, after a second post-winter break collapse, Rangers looks as if they were about to cash in on their most valuable asset in the shape of Alfredo Morelos, the Colombian international attracting interest from Ligue 1.
A bid in the region of £16.25million from Lille was rejected, confirmed by the French side’s president, Ross Wilson holding out for the £20m that has long been seen as the minimum fee it would take to prise El Bufalo away from Glasgow.
Coinciding with these reports were transfer rumours linking potential targets to Rangers and, apparently, top of the list was Bordeaux’s Josh Maja, the former Sunderland striker who was struggling to hold down a place at his new club.
As it was, Morelos stayed, we won the league and the rest – as they say – is history, Maja saw a move to Blackburn Rovers fall through last summer because of a back injury being picked up on his medical which had followed a loan spell at Fulham when they were relegated from the Premier League, the 23-year old has only just returned to full fitness this year before being sent to Stoke City on loan.
Should Rangers look to the Nigerian international again as an option they will do so knowing that the Potters have an option to buy the striker but, after scoring just two goals in his time in the Championship, they may see to renegotiate terms. With just a year on his contract to go at Bordeaux and the French side keen to offload him he wouldn’t command a big fee, in fact, we should be able to sell Cedric Itten, sign Maja and still have a little left over.
Maja would be more suitable to the way we play, has bags of potential and could one day be sold for a considerable profit, the transfer market is brought with risk but this move would be a safe bet, if he doesn’t consign himself to a life of Championship purgatory that is.