By Alan Hutton

18th Sep, 2019 | 12:24pm

Ibrox Exclusive: Hutton claims Rangers player heading for PL after £45m fee/wages offer reported

EXCLUSIVE

Alan Hutton has claimed Rangers striker Alfredo Morelos rejected a moneyspinning summer move to China because he wants to “prove himself” in the Premier League.

Speaking exclusively to Football Insider correspondent Russell Edge, the ex-Lights Blues right-back claimed the Colombia striker has designs on a move down south rather than to the Far East.

Hutton said Morelos, 22, will be waiting for the “right opportunity” to enhance his career rather than one usually reserved for ageing players seeking a final pay day.

Sky Sports reported that Chinese Super League club Hebei China Fortune were willing to pay £15million-plus for Morelos in the summer and offered a £30million contract to him that he knocked back.

Asked by Football Insider if he was surprised that Morelos stayed beyond the window shutting earlier this month, Hutton said: “Maybe, it depends on what teams are interested in you. Do you really want to go away to wherever, China or wherever it is?

“He’s a young guy, he wants to prove himself here in the Premier League and in Britain, if the right opportunity came up he would have to look at it seriously. I think definitely for this season he is in the best place to improve as a player.”

Morelos has signed a string of improved contracts since joining Rangers in the summer of 2017 from HJK Helsinki in Finland.

The striker has scored 11 goals already this season to lift his tally in a Light Blues shirt to 59 from 104 matches, supplemented by 22 assists.

In other Rangers news, a player with 151 Premier League appearances has REVEALED how he was offered the chance to return to Ibrox.