La Liga expert helps explain why Spanish giants are keen to sign Rangers star this summer

03/22/2025 01:00 PM

Rangers’ reward for defeating Jose Mourinho’s Fenerbahce over two legs is a Europa League quarter-final meeting with Athletic Bilbao.

Athletic boss Ernesto Valverde always dreamed of visiting Ibrox as a player. Now, at the age of 61, the former Barcelona coach will finally tick one lingering ambition off his footballing bucket list.

After taking on Dundee and Hibernian following the March international break, Rangers will host Athletic Club at Ibrox on April 10th before travelling to the Basque Country for the return leg seven days later.

So, as Valverde’s side took on Sevilla last weekend, Barry Ferguson – in his new role as Rangers’ interim boss – would presumably have been tuning in as his preparations begin with a second Europa League final in the space of three years up for grabs.

Despite a dominant first half performance, Sevilla and Athletic ended up pretty evenly matched by the end of the 90 minutes.

And, as perennial Europa League champions Sevilla set their sights on Rangers striker Hamza Igamane ahead of the summer transfer window, anyone tuning in to watch Yeray Alvarez head in an 84th minute winner for the Basque visitors will understand why a centre-forward is top of Los Nervionenses’ wishlist.

• READ MORE:Rangers Transfer History 2016-Present

Sevilla crying out for a goalscorer amid links with Rangers’ Hamza Igamane

Hamza Igamane has been linked with Tottenham, Newcastle and Aston Villa already. Marseille reportedly see him as an alternative to Mason Greenwood.

As for Sevilla, their name has come up too in the European press over the last few days. No wonder.

Dodi Lukebakio, their talented Belgian winger, is the only Sevilla player to reach double figures during the current La Liga season. For a team who used to possess such attacking talents as Luis Fabiano and Carlos Bacca, the fact that their top scoring centre-forward – Isaac Romero – has just three from 23 starts rather sums up their drop off from domestic dark horses and continental champions to underachieving also rans.

Spanish football expert Terry Gibson, speaking on El Tel and Jon’s La Liga Weekly podcast, felt this was a performance which summed up Sevilla from an attacking perspective.

“[Athletic] just about deserved to win this game. They smashed Sevilla in the first-half. Sevilla came back into it and, the last ten minutes, the importance of the victory for Athletic Club…” Gibson says.

“Sevilla were half decent. But, unfortunately, they do lack an obvious goalscorer apart from Lukebakio.”

Scott Arfield says Igamane is not yet at Alfredo Morelos’ level

Rangers will be desperate to hang onto Igamane. Despite a poor run of form over the last two months, he provided a timely reminder of his qualities last time out. Igamane thrashed a ‘phenomenal’ 88th minute strike past Celtic goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel as Rangers beat their Old Firm rivals away from home for the first time since 2020.

Comparisons with Alfredo Morelos have followed the Moroccan throughout his debut season in Scotland.

Though Scott Arfield, a former teammate of the firebrand Colombian, insists Hamza Igamane still has ‘a long way to go’ to match Morelos.

"With his stocky, powerful build, I've seen a lot of people comparing him to my old teammate Morelos. He's a better technical operator than 'Buff' was but I think he's got a long way to go to show he's as clinical as Alfredo,” Arfield tells the Daily Record.

"Now, young Igamane has to show he can be the real deal. In Glasgow, you're never as good or bad as they say you are.

"Cyriel Dessers – who gets a raw deal at times in my eyes – is nowhere near as bad as player as some critics claim while Hamza perhaps hasn't been as good as some of the hype has suggested. But there's a player in there alright.

"He just needs to keep grafting like the 'Buff' and hopefully he'll hit those heights."