Fresh development shared as Rangers battle Championship clubs for 12-goal striker | OneFootball

Any club looking to sign Josh Maja this summer will need to pay a fee for the striker if Bordeaux win promotion back to Ligue 1.

The former Sunderland striker has been out in France for the past few years, but it had been thought that his deal with Les Girondins expired at the end of the season, meaning he would be able to join a new club on a free transfer.

That prompted speculation that Rangers, and a few Championship clubs were monitoring Maja ahead of the upcoming window.

However, in a fresh update, Football Insider have revealed that Bordeaux have an option to extend the contract of the 24-year-old - providing they win promotion back to the top-flight. Therefore, it would require an agreement to be reached between the clubs to get a deal done.

And, promotion is a real possibility, as Bordeaux are second in the table with ten games to play, although they are just a point ahead of third-placed Sochaux, and they trail the leaders Le Havre by seven points. Maja has been key to their success as well, scoring 12 times in the campaign.

Things have changed in France this year, as they look to reduce the number of clubs in the top division to 18, so four will be relegated and only two will win promotion from the second tier. That means there are no play-offs, so Bordeaux can only go up by finishing in the top two.

It’s unclear which Championship clubs are keeping tabs on Maja, but the appeal of Rangers to the player will be obvious, as they will be able to offer European football under Michael Beale. They are also in the market for a number nine with doubts about the future of Alfredo Morelos, who is out of contract this summer.

The verdict

This obviously changes things massively in the summer, as clubs may have thought Maja was a bargain on a free may not want to pay a fee in the summer.

Of course, it won’t take a massive amount to get it done, as he will be entering the final year, but it does change the situation a lot.

So, it’s one to monitor in the coming months, and those clubs who are seriously tracking Maja will be hoping they don’t go up, as a transfer is a lot more achievable in that case.