Rangers have been dealt a possible transfer blow after Mohamed Toubache-Ter claimed that Marseille are ‘more than hot’ for Ibrox-linked assist king Zinedine Ferhat.
The Gers were first linked with Nîmes midfielder Ferhat by a Foot Mercato report in May.
It’s been suggested that they have been monitoring his situation, with a cut-price deal in the region of €5m (£4.2m) reportedly possible following Nimes’ relegation from the top-flight [Le10Sport].
Multiple other clubs have also been credited with interest but the Light Blues appeared to have been dealt several recent boosts, with St Etienne reportedly pulling out of the race [Hommed via Daily Record] and Ferhat getting ‘cold feet’ regarding a potential move to Strasbourg.
Alsa Sports reported that the 28-year-old is holding out for a higher profile move and a switch to Rangers would be just that with European football of some kind guaranteed at Ibrox.
However, Marseille are also a big club and according to French journalist Toubache-Ter, they are very keen on the Algeria international.
“Marseille more than hot on Ferhat,” he wrote on Twitter [translated]. “The exchanges continue and go up a notch.”
Les Phocéens don’t have a chance of making the Champions League but their fifth-placed finish in Ligue 1 last season did guarantee them a place in the Europa League group stages, while their very large fan base and famous stadium are plus points they share with Rangers.
It was reported some time ago that Ferhat would like to remain in France [Daily Record] and perhaps geography and language could work against the Gers here if the versatile midfielder really is a top target for Marseille.
Rangers lacked creativity on Sunday in their 1-0 defeat to Dundee United at Tannadice, though, so they may put up a real fight for a player like Ferhat, who recorded ten Ligue 1 assists last season and a record-breaking 20 in the 2017/18 Ligue 2 campaign.
While a tough transfer battle may beckon for Ferhat, Rangers’ chances of signing a high-quality 22-year-old may have improved.