Rangers to bank tasty Hamza Igamane profit as summer transfer saga nears end game with €17m 'deal agreed'

Hamza Igamane is on the verge of leaving Rangers after just 12 months with French side Lille having reached an agreement to sign the Moroccan striker, according to reports.

The Ligue 1 outfit have been locked in talks with the Ibrox club for a number of days and reports in Morocco now suggest the deal is close to completion, with the 22-year-old now expected to link up with World Cup winner Olivier Giroud after being lined up as a direct replacement for outgoing forward Jonathan David.

Igamane had a number of clubs from across Europe on his trail this summer after netting 16 times in 46 appearances during his debut campaign for Light Blues, including four in the Europa League and a stunning winner against Old Firm rivals Celtic at Parkhead in March.

Lille were one of those clubs to have tracked Igamane closely following his brace in the 4-1 demolition of OGC Nice last November, while rivals Marseille and English Premier League side Everton had also expressed serious interest in signing the versatile hitman.

Rangers had placed an asking price of £15m on his head and Lille were in contact with the player’s representatives last week, but had still to agree a fee with Gers officials. Now Moroccan outlet KoraMaroc claim talks have progressed significantly in recent days and an agreement has been reached between the two clubs.

They state Igamane will go through a medical while paperwork for the deal is finalised. It’s claimed an official announcement confirming the transfer will then be imminent.

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Reports in his homeland also suggest his old club FAR Rabat would be due almost 30 per cent of the transfer fee Lille, which would amount to roughly £4.5m.

Rangers paid just £1.7m to bring Igamane to Glasgow last summer, so even allowing for that 30 per cent, they will have made a significant profit.

Fellow attacker Cyriel Dessers also appears to be on his way out with AEK Athens still working on a deal to take him to Greece. That would leave new boss Russell Martin in desperate need of fresh firepower in the striking department.