A leading Scottish football blogger has claimed that sources close to French club Nîmes Olympique have confirmed to him that Rangers have made an approach for Zinedine Ferhat.
The Algerian international midfielder has been on impressive form for the Ligue 1 side this season and links to the player first appeared in Foot Mercato.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8TOAlWPYrwM
They had previously claimed that the Gers were interested in the attacking midfielder ahead of the summer window.
With Nîmes now relegated from Ligue 1, Ferhat, 28, may well be on the move in the coming months with French outfit Saint Etienne and Serie A side Sassuolo also reportedly interested and a year left on his current deal.
Despite Nîmes lowly league position of 19th, Ferhat has been a rare bright light this season and has managed an impressive return of six goals and ten assists in 33 Ligue 1 games this campaign.
According to a source who has spoken to the 4th Official, those reports linking the player to Ibrox are legitimate and the Gers have already made enquiries for the player.
“In the last 24 hours, I tried following up on whether the Ferhat story is true or not,” reads the blog.
“I tried contacting my previous sources from covering Amiens, and finally, I was able to approach a source at Nimes.
“The source at Nimes asked not to be identified (understandably) and confirmed that the report from Foot Mercato was legitimate. Rangers have definitely made an approach for Ferhat.
“However, the midfielder already has other teams in France interested in him, and according to him, Rangers will need to make a substantial offer to get him.
“The plus side for any team approaching is that the player’s contract will expire next season, and there is a chance Nimes is relegated to Ligue 2.”
These links also come during a period when Rangers Young Player of the Year Ianis Hagi is being linked with the Ibrox exit door.
Romanian playmaker Hagi, 22, has been linked with the likes of Sevilla, Lazio and Vfl Bochum with one report claiming he has a measly €10m (£8.6m) release clause in his contract.
