The future of Rangers striker Alfredo Morelos may depend on ‘what happens with [Giovanni] van Bronckhorst’, Danny Mills has told Football Insider.
The lowdown
Morelos’s £33,000-per-week Rangers contract is due to expire at the end of next season.
That means this summer could be the club’s last opportunity to cash in, with Morelos able to line up a free transfer to a foreign club from January unless he pens an extension.
[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/rangers-news-3/” title=”Rangers news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]
The frontman stated back in the autumn that he hoped he would be soon be allowed to leave Glasgow.
Morelos has scored 113 goals in 224 appearances for the club, better than one every two games, and is their all-time top European goalscorer.
Former Rangers midfielder Nacho Novo has urged the Light Blues to ‘do something very soon’ as they face the prospect of losing an ‘incredible’ player.
The latest
Mills, a pundit for Sky Sports News, says there are plenty of factors that may determine Morelos’ next move, including Van Bronckhorst’s future.
“It will depend on where Rangers finish in the league, what happens in the Europa League and what that means for their finances,” he told Football Insider.
“Then what happens with Giovanni van Bronckhorst going forwards? There is a lot in the mix at Rangers and it depends on these next few weeks, effectively.
“If they finish behind Celtic, how far will they finish behind Celtic? Can they turn it around in the Europa League?
Mills warned that Rangers may be forced to sell the Colombian to fund further recruitment.
But on the other hand, the opportunity to play in the Champions League could compel him to remain at Ibrox.
“What is the plan going forward?” he said. “Do they need to sell a player like that to get some money to help bring players in?
“If they were to overtake Celtic and win the league, get in the Champions League with all that money they might be able to keep him and he will want to play in the Champions League.
“If not, they might need to reassess the situation.”
The verdict
There are two possible routes for Rangers into the Champions League – winning the Scottish Premiership and winning the UEFA Europa League.
The first looks decidedly unlikely after Celtic beat Rangers 2-1 earlier this month to open up a six-point cushion at the top of the table. There is still one more Old Firm to play, though, which would could revive the Gers’ hopes.
As for the European path, Rangers will first have to overturn a 1-0 deficit against Braga on Thursday. That would earn them a place in the semifinals, but RB Leipzig or Atalanta would be the favourites for the tie.
Rangers, then, have only an outside bet of making it into Europe’s premier club competition, but it could prove to be a trump card if they can get it done.
Many of the clubs interested in Morelos – like Leicester City, Newcastle United and Everton – won’t be playing at that level next season.
In other news, a significant contract update has emerged.