Lille will return to Rangers with a £ 17m bid for Alfredo Morelos, with the new Premiership boys West Bromwich Albion waiting in the starting blocks to prepare a competitive offer.
The French team has already agreed terms with the Colombian striker, but still has to charge a fee for the Ibrox team.
This alarmed West Brom, who failed to bid £ 12m for Morelos last summer when they were still in the championship.
The Baggies have now won promotion and Boss Slaven Bilic wants the Rangers frontman to lead their return to the Premier League.
A lack of firepower cost West Brom almost automatic advertising and it is something Bilic would like to address, which is why Morelos is at the top of his wanted list.
However, Lille remains in the box seat and they are aware that they will remain Morelos’ preferred next destination.
Several offers have been declined in the past few weeks, and sources in France claim that Lille has already been informed that £ 15 million would not be enough to land Morelos.
The Ligue One team has not received a prize from the Rangers, but will increase the stake again.
The Light Blues also know that Lille will be cash-rich as they are about to sell their own striker Victor Osimhen to Napoli. The deal is said to be around £ 60m.
Steven Gerrard has always made it clear that he won’t sell unless the price is right for them and a deal is on their terms.
Former club HJK Helsinki would also receive around £ 1 million for a deal as a percentage sell-out from the original sale in 2017.
The Rangers have made it clear that they have no financial selling pressure and are not being bullied into a deal.
It looks like Morelos will likely lead the Rangers’ attack if they bow their Premiership to Aberdeen tomorrow.
The Colombian international has scored 77 goals for the Ibrox giants in 137 games, but has never hidden his desire to play in one of the best leagues in Europe.
Ross Wilson, football director of the Rangers, and Gerrard have already identified a number of striking substitutes if Morelos is sold.
Peterborough striker Ivan Toney, who has already been the subject of a failed Celtic offer, is on his list, but there are several options, such as a loan to Rhian Brewster from Liverpool and renewed interest in Marco Mirko Maric from Osijek, are also mentioned .
Rangers have also regularly explored Livingston’s Lyndon Dykes and Dundee United’s Lawrence Shankland.
Gerrard was also interested in returning Florian Kamberi from Hibs on loan, with Greg Doherty returning the other way, but the Swiss star told him he wanted a permanent change.
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