With Rangers fans in two minds over the potential sale of Alfredo Morelos to Lille, the immediate attention will turn to the transfer fee and the £20m the Gers fans want for the striker.
Earlier reports suggested the Ligue 1 side want to pay up to £15m for Morelos [Daily Mail, 23/07/20, p.89] but given their financial muscle and the ability of the 24-year-old, the Ibrox legions want more.
Should Rangers recoup this amount, it will immediately draw comparisons to ex-Celtic striker Moussa Dembele who moved to Lyon for a similar fee back in 2018.
However, there is one main difference between any prospective Morelos deal and that of Dembele; timing.
The Frenchman joined Lyon in a near £20m deadline day move which rocked Celtic and their fans and gave them little time to find a replacement.
If Morelos is to leave at this point in the window – whilst not ideal with Aberdeen on the horizon – Rangers have ample time to find a suitable replacement.
What’s more, there’s little doubt the club will have a list of potential transfers having prepared for this eventuality.
Anderlecht forward Kemar Roofe is one name which has been routinely sounded out, whilst Croatian striker Mirko Maric has been linked with a move by a prominent journalist in the Balkans.
Rangers might end up losing their most influential player of the last few seasons but should the Ibrox side recoup a substantial fee, it could come as a timely boost to the squad.
Losing the 29-goal striker might be a major blow initially, but with time to spare it could wind up being the financial boost the club needs to bolster other areas of the squad.
We’d certainly have plenty of time to do so.
