Rangers could soon be on the lookout for a new striker following news that Alfredo Morelos has agreed personal terms with Lille.
The 24-year-old has been a revelation in Glasgow since joining Rangers from Finnish side HJK in 2017, scoring 77 goals in 137 games for the club.
Morelos has also been a controversial figure during his time in Scottish football, receiving a remarkable 36 yellow cards and seven reds for the Gers.
Although Rangers and Lille still have to thrash out a deal for the Colombian it seems likely that he will be on the move which will leave a big void in Steven Gerrard’s attack.
Here are five options Rangers could target as they seek to replace him:
Kemar Roofe (Anderlecht)
Kemar Roofe joined Anderlecht from Leeds United last summer and enjoyed a solid start to life in Belgium scoring six goals in his opening 13 league games for the club.
However, the 27-year-old hasn’t played since December after suffering a calf injury before the Belgian Pro League was cancelled prematurely in May due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Rangers were linked with a move for Roofe last month but Anderlecht’s asking price of around £5.5m for the London-born forward was viewed as prohibitive.
If Rangers are able to recoup a big fee from Lille for Morelos, however, they may have the finances available to strike a deal for the forward.
Lyle Taylor (unattached)
Lyle Taylor attracted plenty of negative attention after refusing to extend his contract with Charlton until the end of the season with the Addicks ultimately suffering relegation from the Championship.
Explaining his decision the 30-year-old said: “At the age I am, should I get seriously injured I’ll never get another opportunity like those I currently have.”
Taylor has been linked with a variety of clubs since making his decision to leave Charlton including Rangers, Celtic, Galatasaray and a number of teams in the Championship.
Renowned for his unique walking run-up technique for penalties, Taylor scored 36 goals in 67 games for Charlton highlighting why he is in such demand this summer.
Daniel Sturridge (unattached)
Daniel Sturridge is currently a free agent after leaving Turkish side Trabzonspor in March after being handed a four-month ban for breaching betting rules.
Sturridge is on the lookout for a new club and has been linked with clubs in MLS as well as Italian side Benevento who have achieved promotion to Serie A this season.
Rangers were rumoured to be monitoring Sturridge last summer after his contract with Liverpool had expired before he decided to move to Turkey instead.
Gerrard played alongside Sturridge to great success with both Liverpool and England and may be keen to reunite with the striker at Ibrox.
Rhian Brewster (Liverpool)
Gerrard has made the most of his Liverpool connections during his time with Rangers, signing Ovie Ejaria and Sheyi Ojo on loan and Jon Flanagan and Ryan Kent on permanent deals since his appointment in 2018.
Should Gerrard enquire over the availability of Liverpool’s youngsters for next season, one player likely to feature high on his priority list is Rhian Brewster who has impressed on loan at Swansea since January.
The 20-year-old has struck 10 goals in 20 Championship games for the Swans and his form in front of goal was pivotal to their late charge into the play-offs at Nottingham Forest’s expense.
Jurgen Klopp may be keen to keep Brewster in his first-team squad next season but if he feels another loan spell would be beneficial for his development, a move to Rangers could be a potential option.
Josh Maja (Bordeaux)
Rangers may look to source Morelos’ replacement from Ligue 1 with Bordeaux’s Josh Maja rumoured to be on the club’s transfer wishlist.
Maja has shown plenty of promise during his time in France with Bordeaux, scoring six times in Ligue 1 last season including a hat-trick against Nimes in December.
However, the 21-year-old has struggled to nail down a starting place under Paulo Sousa with 15 of his 21 league appearances coming as a substitute.
Bordeaux paid Sunderland just £1.5m for Maja in January 2019 and would likely command a far more significant fee for him if they were to be tempted into a sale this summer.
from Football – inews.co.uk https://ift.tt/2WZy5od
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