PAOK boss Razvan Lucescu says he won't greenlight a deal for Antonio Colak until the club recruit a new striker. But he confirmed an "important" bid for the striker as Rangers close in on the £2.6m-rated star.
Gio van Bronckhorst is in the market for a new centre-forward this summer to add depth and ease the burden on Alfredo Morelos and Kemar Roofe. Ross Stewart is also of interest, but Croatian Colak has been identified as the main man and talks are well under way over a deal.
Alarm bells were ringing when he was left out of PAOK's friendly with Go Ahead Eagles in the Netherlands but he emerged as a half-time sub in that one and remains a key player for the Greek side. And boss Lurescu is reluctant to lose him, insisting it would be a major blow if they signed off on a deal before they could sign a replacement striker.
Nelson Olivieira is the only other recognised No.9 in the squad as things stand and Lurescu said: "I can tell you I know about an offer for Antonio from a good club that for him could be important. At the same time if Antonio leaves in the next few days it's a problem as it leaves us with one striker.
"The official games are coming soon and it's not easy to bring in new players. You need time. Time for negotiations, money, players that are available and not, players that have chemistry with us. So these are the two aspects and they are not so easy to be solved. From Antonio and from us."
