Lille are ready to switch their sights to fresh targets after getting cold feet over the megabucks fee Rangers are demanding for Hamza Igamane.
It emerged this week that the Moroccan kid had shot to the top of the Ligue 1 giants’ summer wish list.
Mastiffs chiefs even held talks with his agent and agreed terms on a lucrative three-year contract.
But despite 48 hours of intense speculation, Ibrox bosses are still waiting to receive an official approach from their French counterparts.
Now sources close to the club have told Record Sport that Lille’s board have been spooked by talk of a £15million valuation slapped on a player Gers signed for just £1.7m only a year ago.
Unless the Light Blues’ new American owners decide to lower their price tag, it looks like Lille will take their business elsewhere.
That appears unlikely, however.
It was only on Monday that Rangers new vice-chairman Paraag Marathe made clear that the club would no longer be forced to sell their top assets on the cheap now that he and new boardroom boss Andrew Cavenagh are in power at the top of the Marble Staircase.
“The resources are in place to allow us to make the best decisions for the club without being forced to make a decision because of club economics or finances,” said the San Francisco 49ers exec in the wake of the club’s £95million takeover.
“We don’t want to speak about any specific players but we have the ability to do what we need to do to be successful this season.”
Lille appear to be the first club to have tested out that resolve and are now poised to walk away unless they can come up with the cash Gers are demanding for their 16-goal frontman.
Igamane arrived last summer and while he took time to get going, he enjoyed a breakout year, scoring a memorable brace against Nice as well as impressive strikes against Spurs and Celtic.
That form earned him a first cap for Morocco’s national side and also put him on the radar of Lille boss Bruno Genesio.
He had hoped to pair the 22-year-old with French national team legend Olivier Giroud, who is close to agreeing his own move to Lille after a year in America with MLS outfit LAFC.
But those plans will be foiled unless an agreement can be reached.
