The Moroccan frontman is attracting attention from France and the Ibrox side could be tempted to cash in

Rangers arguably lived to regret their decision to turn down big bucks from French side Lille.

That was five years ago when the Ligue 1 outfit wanted Alfredo Morelos and offered £17million for the Colombian striker.

But it was at the start of the season when Steven Gerrard and Rangers were going for their all-important 55th Scottish title.

The Light Blues resisted the temptation to cash in on a player who only cost £1m from HJK Helsinki and the rest, literally, is history with Morelos playing his part in stopping Celtic’s bid for a 10th consecutive title.

From the point of view of silverware it proved the right choice. But did it make good business sense? Morelos walked away for nothing a couple of years later, and some will say the club should have cashed in.

Having failed in their bid to sign Morelos, Lille turned their attention to New York-born Canada international striker Jonathan David. They paid a reported £25m – still a record for a Canadian player.

But after five years in France, the coveted frontman is moving on in a free transfer after his contract expired. Juventus are the frontrunners to land the player with Manchester United desperate to secure him.

Regardless of where he ends up, Lille need to find a replacement and reports in Belgium say they have turned their attention Rangers striker Hamza Igamane.

Rangers Hamza Igamane celebrates after scoring to make it 3-2

It’s only 12 months since the Moroccan was signed for just £1.7m from AS FAR. Given the need to improve the player trading model, then a bumper offer could be too good to turn down. But what would be acceptable?

Reports have suggested Rangers had set a £20m fee. The £19m the Light Blues got from Ajax for Calvin Bassey is their record sale by some distance so it could even top that.

Lille’s most expensive signings are David for £25m and Victor Osimhen for around £18m so they aren’t scared to spend on potential.

One thing looks certain, though, and that is former boss Philippe Clement was right when he said this of Igamane last September: “We had to sign him now because one year later we could never afford him.”