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Hamza Igamane transfer latest: Rangers accept £10.4m offer from Lille for wantaway striker

  /  autty

Rangers have accepted a bid from Lille for wantaway striker Hamza Igamane.

It is understood that the French club have met the £10.4m (€12m) release clause in his contract.

Sky Sports News revealed earlier on Tuesday that the 22-year-old missed training ahead of Rangers’ Champions League play-off clash against Club Brugge. However, it is understood he was not injured for the session.

That followed Sunday’s draw at St Mirren, where the player refused to come on as a substitute, claiming he was injured.

Lille had reopened talks with Ibrox chiefs this week, after an initial loan bid was rejected and are now set to sign the player.

Dutch side Feyenoord had also been keen on Igamane, who scored 16 times in his first season at Ibrox.

'We need people to be all in'

Speaking after Sunday's game, Rangers head coach Russell Martin told Sky Sports: "We had a bid this week for Hamza, we rejected it. All was fine. Trained fine yesterday [Saturday], warmed up fine. I turned around to him at 60 minutes because I wanted two strikers on the pitch. Hamza told me he was injured.

"I don't know [if he refused to play.] I have to trust him but we'll see. The issue is that the transfer window is still open. There are a lot of people, one eye out the door and one in and we need people to be all in all the time in this football club.

"We really need that. At the minute there's still too many people uncertain or still trying to think, 'maybe there's something there for me'. The window needs to shut quickly.

"In-house we need to make sure that we have people who really want to be here, so the people that come in and the people that stay really want to be here. We'll see."

Boyd: Martin must be strong or he will pay the price

Following his former side's draw away to St Mirren, Sky Sports' Kris Boyd said:

"I think I said it a couple of weeks ago, I think the players have been running the club for far too long. Listen, if he's injured, he's injured. I highly doubt it.

"If that is the case, if I'm Rangers Football Club I'd drive him to the airport and say goodbye. If you've not got people who are willing to knuckle down and help this team at this moment of time, then see you later.

"If you don't there's a real danger. It's at boiling point right now with the fans. If Russell Martin is not strong, and doesn't see this through, he's going to join Giovanni van Bronckhorst, Michael Beale, Philippe Clement out the door.

"He needs to get the right type of characters in this dressing room and quick. I do question if Martin is a little too honest. After a game, emotions are still high and if you've turned to your bench for a striker that the fans think is the blue-eyed boy; I've not seen what everybody thinks.

"On a consistent basis, Hamza Igamane hasn't done what everyone thinks he's done for Rangers. He's another one who is inflated and everybody thinks is better than he is."