Rangers may have a route to signing striker Josh Maja this summer with Bordeaux now forced to stay in Ligue 2.
The Gers appear to be on the verge of signing a new forward with Atalanta’s Sam Lammers nearing an Ibrox switch.
At least one more striker will be needed though and Maja is a name on the radar.
Football lnsider suggested in March that Maja had become a top target for Rangers this summer.
The former Sunderland talent may well become a priority for Rangers if talks over another Nigerian striker – Cyriel Dessers – lead nowhere.
Maja has been on the Rangers radar for a while now; Get French Football News reported in 2020 that Rangers keen to talk to Maja about a move to Ibrox.
That didn’t happen but with Michael Beale now back at the club, Rangers are seemingly keen on Maja again.
Josh Maja in limbo after Bordeaux ruling
The Gers will have kept tabs on Maja’s situation given that his future hinged on Bordeaux winning promotion.
Bordeaux were relegated to Ligue 2 at the end of last season and have been vying for a return to Ligue 1.
Football Insider reported in March that there is a clause in Maja’s deal which would see his contract extended by a year upon promotion.
Maja’s current deal ends this summer so that one-year deal could rule out a Rangers bargain.
Bordeaux have been going for promotion but have suffered a crushing blow.
Bordeaux’s final-day clash against mid-table Rodez was abandoned with Bordeaux losing 1-0 at the time.
A pitch-invader attacked a Rodez player and the game was immediately abandoned as a result.
Bordeaux have been left to wait for a ruling on whether the game would be replayed, renewing their promotion hopes.
Instead, The LFP have ruled that the game will stand as a 1-0 Rodez win, hitting Bordeaux with a defeat.
That means Bordeaux finish third in the Ligue 2 table and miss out on promotion in controversial circumstances.
Metz have now gone up instead, three points and just four goals ahead of Bordeaux.
Bordeaux may well appeal the decision but it looks like their promotion hopes are over.
That means the clause in Maja’s contract can’t be activated and the 24-year-old could now become a free agent.
Rangers are surely still interested with Maja hitting 16 goals and six assists in Ligue 2 this season.
This could be an absolute bargain for Rangers and Beale is surely weighing up a move for the striker this summer.
