Rangers are looking like being able to enjoy Hamza Igamane until the summer at least as the clock ticks down on the January transfer window.
The Moroccan has been a revelation since breaking into the Gers team and his form has been such that he has been touted as a potential Premiership Player of the Year candidate.
That’s despite not really starting games until recent months, but of course he wouldn’t have been in the running for it had he departed in the winter window.
Everton were one of the Premier League sides strongly linked to Igamane and there had been suggestions they would look to complete his signing ahead of the deadline.
Tottenham were taking a look after dispatching scouts to watch him further after his Europa League strike against them.
And there was interest from further afield too – with French sides Marseille and Stade Reims apparently in the hunt.
Rangers were said to be looking for at least £25million for Igamane and while that would be excellent business after signing him for £1.7m in the summer, it would be a blow on the pitch.
But it looks like fans and Philippe Clement can breathe a sigh of relief.
Everton won’t be signing Hamza Igamane from Rangers
It looks like Everton, who at one stage looked to be leading the charge for Igamane, won’t be signing him in this window.
In fact, they won’t be pursuing a striker at all, which will be music to the ears at Ibrox.
Giving a Toffees update on Sky Sports News, reporter Antonin Toloui said: “[Everton] are unlikely to sign a striker today.”
The interest in the 22-year-old is only likely to grow but selling him in the summer would be far more palatable, especially is his stock and value continue to rise.
Rangers would then be well placed to go an reinvest the money in the squad for next season.
What Igamane said on his Rangers future
Big things surely lie ahead for Igamane in the future, but he insists he is content at Rangers for now.
Speaking to French magazine Onze Mondial, he said: “To be honest, I am happy here in Scotland. Here, I do not need anything. Everything I need is available.
“I would like to thank the Rangers club officials because they put me in ideal conditions so that I can focus only on football and my achievements on the pitch.
“Believe me, I do not feel like a stranger here, despite my distance from Morocco.
“I am a central striker, this is clear, but I can adapt to different shapes and playing styles whenever I am asked to do so.
“Generally, I can play on the right wing or the left wing, but I always prefer to play centrally because my goal is always to score.
“I think this is very normal for the striker.”
