Ligue 1 outfit Lille are reportedly preparing a £15m move for Rangers’ Colombian striker Alfredo Morelos, according to the Daily Mail.
In the print edition of the newspaper [23/07/20, p.89] the report claims the 29-goal Ibrox forward is on a list of striking reinforcements as they look to replace Nigerian forward Victor Osimhen.
Lille have cash to burn following the sale of Osimhen to Serie A Napoli for a reported £60m, with a range of strikers now being linked to the club.
According to the Mail’s report, Ligue 1 Lille are being put off Genk’s £35m asking price for main man Jonathon David, whilst Red Bull Salzburg have rejected a £28m bid for striker Patson Daka.
The reported £15m interest in Morelos would represent a much lower fee than those deals with Rangers believed to value Morelos closer to £20m.
The report also comes at a peculiar time for Rangers with the Scottish Premiership season set to kick off next week and fellow forward Jermain Defoe pulling up with a hamstring injury in a friendly v Motherwell.
Rangers boss Steven Gerrard revealed after the match that the club could be forced to enter the transfer market for a third-choice striker sooner than planned as a result.
“The only disappointment from tonight is Jermain’s injury,” said Gerrard [Premier Sports live broadcast 22/07/20].
“We don’t know the extent of it yet. We know it’s a hamstring but until we scan it, we won’t know how long it will be.
“First and foremost we just need to stay calm and find out the extent of the injury.
“I went on record last week to say I’d like to add in that area in terms of having extra firepower so who knows? It might push us even further in that direction to try and get something done.”
