According to a recent report from Daily Record, Rangers have opened up new contract talks with their striker Alfredo Morelos. Rangers are reportedly keen to extend his stay further, and they have offered much-improved terms to him. Morelos’ current contract keeps him at the club until 2023. It is being said that Rangers and his representatives have been in discussion for weeks now.
The forward extended his contract last year in March. There have been numerous speculations regarding Morelos’ future for quite some time, but Rangers were able to keep hold of him in the last two transfer windows. Morelos has continued with his impressive form as he has bagged 29 goals already this season to go with nine assists.
However, the forward has been embroiled in various controversies recently. Gerrard though continues to back his striker completely. The manager had recently said, “I’ve had a good chat with him since we returned from the winter break. We always support all the players across the board, not just Alfredo. I will always be there for them; my door is always open.”
Morelos hasn’t been at his best since the break. He missed the first three games due to suspension. His recent performance against Kilmarnock where Rangers suffered a season-defining defeat wasn’t up to the mark.
Does Morelos deserve a new contract?
We are very sure that Morelos is already on a pretty good contract. Maybe (and this is pure speculation on our part) both the parties had some sort of informal agreement last year that if the striker stays on for another year, then Morelos would be offered a new and better deal. His last extension was done in the early part of March previous year.
It’s clear that Gerrard and his management team wants to get the best deal out of Morelos when he is sold in the future. There is an air of inevitability that he will leave for bigger and better things in the future. He is already portrayed as a villain in various media outlets, and the striker might want to look for a change soon. The new contract is likely being offered to push up his market price further. However, a lot could depend on how Morelos would perform in the second half of the season.
Rangers are probably looking to get him on a new contract before the summer transfer window. Given his overall performance this season, Gerrard would do well to keep him for another year. We believe that Rangers are taking the right call by handing him an improved deal, but they could probably wait a few more months before giving him a new contract.
Morelos’ market value could depend on how he goes about his business from now until the end of the season. If he has a disappointing second half of the season, then there might not be many takers for him at the price which Gerrard would demand.
