Hamza Igamane to Lille transfer talks erupt again as Rangers sub row sees Ligue 1 giants 'come back to table'

Hamza Igamane to Lille transfer talks erupt again as Rangers sub row sees Ligue 1 giants 'come back to table'

Lille are said to have come back to the table with fresh talks to land the striker

Hamza Igamane refused to come off the bench (Image: Stuart Wallace/Shutterstock)

Lille have reportedly come back to the table for Hamza Igamane – just 24 hours after he controversially refused to play for Rangers.

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The Morocco striker made headlines yesterday when he sprung an unwelcome surprise on Russell Martin, who wanted to substitute him on for the final half hour of the 1-1 draw with St Mirren.

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The visibly irked boss told the press after the game that Igamane, who was passed fit before kick-off, claimed he'd picked up a quad injury in the warm-up and couldn't play.

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Most of the direct criticism of Igamane came from outside, with his former coach Billy Dodds telling him the offence was enough to end his Ibrox career. But Martin did admit the striker's future at Ibrox is uncertain after a bid was rejected last week.

But now it seems Lille have come back to the table with a fresh push to land him in the final week of the window.

Foot Mercato say that, just a day after the incident, Lille have re-entered negotiations, a development which has left Igamane 'delighted' – since he is desperate to play in Ligue 1 this season.

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Rangers were previously holding out for a fee close to £15m but it remains to be seen if their bargaining position has been harmed by the public fallout.

It's understood talks between the clubs are back underway and while no offer has been made yet, one could 'come quickly.'

When asked about the situation Lille boss Bruno Genesio said: "I won't talk about a transfer window, I will talk with my president, but what is certain is that we still need players."

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While clearly bemused by the situation, boss Martin was careful with his words when speaking to Sky Sports about it.

He said: "Hamza told me he was injured. We had a bid this week for Hamza, we rejected it. All was fine. Trained fine yesterday, 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. 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.

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"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.

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"I think there's a few areas we're looking to strengthen. I don't think anything's imminent being really honest. We've spoken to a few people. I know it's a boring answer but it's me being honest with you. I don't know what the Hamza situation will be after today."

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