Rangers have been accused of ramping up interest in a summer signing, as they did with Alfredo Morelos during his days at Ibrox.

Morelos left Rangers in 2023 on a free transfer, which would have been unthinkable 12-18 months before his departure.

The Colombian was among the best players at Ibrox, but poor management by the board meant that they failed to cash in on one of their top assets.

Richard Foster questions whether Rangers are sparking up fake interest in Olwethu Makhanya

Richard Foster, who spent one season on loan at Ibrox, has questioned the club’s intentions amid Premier League clubs’ reported interest in Makhanya. He believes this is Rangers’ doing and that there is nobody serious about signing the defender.

Rangers star Olwethu Makhanya has been told he’s not even worth £15m, but we disagree!

How much would you be happy to sell him for in the summer?

In a conversation with Kevin Kyle, Foster compared this situation to that of Morelos, where there was reported interest in every transfer window, but the Light Blues failed to sell him for any money.

While he believes that Makhanya is a good player, he wants to see how he reacts to adversity before he decides if he’s ready to take the step up to the Premier League.

He said: “He’s not really faced a top opponent. He’s not really faced adversity. Sometimes you can tell a lot about a player about how they respond to, ‘Oh this guy’s as quick as me. This guy’s as strong as me.’

“I think he’s done very well. I think out of the two of them [Makhanya and Emmanuel Fernandez], Makhanya is the steadier influence. The more solid player.

“I don’t know whether they’re just trying to spark interest in him early. I mean, how many teams wanted to sign Morelos? Of course. Did he ever go? There must have been about thirty different teams that came in for Morelos.”

The truth behind Morelos’ failed moves away from Ibrox

Foster completely misses the point of what happened with Morelos and seems to be wrong about Makhanya as well. There was genuine interest in the Colombian during his time at Ibrox, and not selling him remains a major regret.

Lille had made multiple bids for him, with the highest one being around £16m, but that was a few million shy of the Gers valuation. There were even big-money bids made from the Chinese Super League, which were turned down by the club.

Steven Gerrard and Giovanni van Bronckhorst both saw him as an integral first-team player and did not want the club to consider any offers. He played an important role in guiding the team to the Scottish Premiership title and the 2022 Europa League.

After that, as his contract appeared to be coming to an end, his performances dipped, and there were questions about his attitude and fitness.