OPINION
Rangers forward Alfredo Morelos is attracting attention again – but this time it must be taken seriously by Ibrox manager Steven Gerrard.
According to L’Equipe, Ligue 1 club Bordeaux are in the hunt to sign Morelos, 21, as they look to add to their attacking options before the end of the month.
Bordeaux have hardly been free-scoring in their first few games of the season, which has included Europa League qualifier wins against the likes of Ventspils and Mariupol before they lost 2-0 to Strasbourg at home in the league on Sunday.
Morelos meanwhile has rediscovered the form that he lost at the end of last season.
The Colombian forward has scored three goals and supplied two assists in seven appearances across all competitions for Rangers and with Umar Sadiq nowhere near to challenging for his spot in Gerrard’s starting line-up, he is without doubt one of the most valuable assets at Ibrox.
It is no great shock that the former HJK Helsinki front man is on the radar of other clubs, but it is a concern that it is Bordeaux who are after him.
The Europa League club have had their transfer budget boosted this summer by selling Brazilian attacker Malcom to Barcelona for a fee worth £36.6million that was confirmed by Barca’s official website.
With that kind of money in the bank, Morelos is bound to be alerted to the interest as it could see him earn a significant pay rise on what he is earning at Ibrox if he was to switch Glasgow for south-west France.
It could also see Bordeaux present the Gers with an offer that they cannot refuse.
Gerrard has already confirmed that he wants up to two more signings before the end of this month and it is likely that one of them is going to be a centre-forward with Morelos and the rarely-seen Sadiq his only options up front.
Take away Morelos in the latter stages of the transfer window, and well, it’s a major problem.
It would certainly be wise to look at potential replacements for Morelos in light of this news from France.
Kyle Lafferty would be a solid replacement if the Gers can lure him away from Hearts while there could be more loan options for Gerrard to explore having already struck several agreements with top clubs from around Europe.
Either way, it is something that Gerrard needs to be mindful of for the next couple of weeks.