OPINION
Marseille are reportedly willing to match Rangers’ £16m asking price for striker Alfredo Morelos this summer, which spells danger for Colombian’s Ibrox future.
The Daily Mail (via the BBC) has reported that representatives from the Ligue 1 club will travel to Sunday’s Old Firm Derby to watch the 22-year-old.
This is very worrying for Rangers. If the reports are true, it seems as if Rangers are willing to let Morelos go by setting an asking price for the striker, but they would miss out on a lot of goals and key performances if they did that.
Morelos has had a blistering yet controversial debut season in Glasgow, scoring 29 goals while also being sent off three times. While he’s scored a bucket-full of goals, he’s also missed a whole host of games due to suspension.
If Morelos had been available throughout the season, Rangers could have had a better shot at pipping Celtic to the title. But on the face of it, 29 goals is still a ridiculous number of goals to get in a debut season, and that’s one thing that Gers boss Steven Gerrard should keep in mind this summer. After all, Morelos is still only 22 and has time to clean up his act.
The Daily Mail report also claims, however, that Mario Ballotelli is to leave Marseille in the summer, which means the French club will have a hole to fill this summer.
Rangers need to make a decision this summer: Can Morelos be trusted to clean up his act and still provide the force he possesses in front of goal? Or has the Colombian’s shocking disciplinary record meant it’s curtains for his time at Ibrox?