Rangers striker Alfredo Morelos may not have agreed a move to Sevilla yet - but reports in Spain suggest he remains the top target for sporting director Monchi this summer.
Ibrox boss Michael Beale has shut down claims that a move to La Liga has already been agreed by the Colombian following talks with the frontman, but with the clock ticking down on Morelos' contract he could still leave for nothing at the end of the Scottish Premiership campaign. Fichajes report that renowned transfer guru Monchi has made a bargain deal for the 26-year-old "top of the agenda" with an increase in attacking options top of the summer wishlist to "strengthen their squad for the coming years."
The report notes that Sevilla will do "everything to convince him" to join the club but Morelos may hold reservations about a deal with the six-time UEFA Cup and Europa League winners facing a relegation scrap. But if Monchi could seal a deal, it could mark a return to his previous transfer principles that brought success to the club.
Monchi is well respected in European football for successfully implementing scouting networks and date scientists across the globe to help Sevilla boast one of the most successful player trading models in world football. The club have snapped up the likes of Dani Alves, Grzegorz Krychowiak, Carlos Bacca, Diego Carlos and Jules Kounde for meagre fees before selling them on for eight-figure sums to European heavyweights and English Premier League suitors.
However, it's the sale of Carlos to Aston Villa and Kounde to Barcelona that saw the transfer mastermind break with tradition and spend big in his search for defensive recruits. Boss Jorge Sampaoli was handed the £16million signing of Tanguy Nianzou from Bayern Munich and the £12m recruitment of Marcao from Galatasaray during a hasty rebuild of the defence towards the end of the summer window.
With Sevilla facing the prospect of the drop, Monchi has been heavily criticised in Spain for his expensive patch-up job that has led to the club boasting one of the poorest defensive records in the Spanish top flight - shipping 40 goals so far this term. Only bottom two Almeria and Elche have shipped more.
With the move for Morelos, the Sevilla chief looks to be going back to his tried and tested model of recruitment. But it remains to be seen if Rangers' record European goalscorer will agree to the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan Stadium.
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