Steven Gerrard says Rangers have laughed off bids for Alfredo Morelos this season – but he is deadly serious when he says the Colombian is destined for the top.
The red-hot frontman took his tally for the season to 27 goals by bagging four against Kilmarnock on Wednesday night.
Bordeaux and Nice have both been in contact with Ibrox chiefs this season in a bid to lure the 22-year-old across the Channel.
But Gerrard is all smiles having seen the Ligue 1 duo rebuffed as Rangers hold out for a sizeable return on the £1million they paid to land Morelos from HJK Helsinki 18 months ago.
The Ibrox boss knows he would struggle to find a replacement for the striker for that kind of money and hopes Morelos will be at the club for some time to come.
"It would be expensive to replace him, very expensive, and that's why we've laughed at a couple of unacceptable bids and rumours that have come his way," said Gerrard.
"We want him to stay here for a long time."
Morelos sits out Sunday's trip to Hamilton as he serves the final game of his three-match punishment for kicking out at Aberdeen's Scott McKenna.
But Gerrard believes the 22-year-old can learn to curb the wilder side of his game by copying Jermain Defoe's approach.
He said: "Alfredo is a top player and he is a young player. We have more firepower now with Jermain coming in and I think Jermain is a perfect role model for Alfredo.
"He is only 22 and he is learning the game. He has just recently become an international player and if he can watch Jermain on a daily basis, see how he lives his life and how he behaves on and off the pitch, I think Alfredo can use that to his benefit and keep improving and keep growing.
"He is certainly a top talent, without a shadow of a doubt. He can go on and achieve whatever he wants to achieve if he approaches it right.
"Myself and the experienced players in the squad are trying to help him and guide him in the right way, and we want him to stay here for a long time and help us to be successful."
Gers return to Ladbrokes Premiership duty after ending 10-man Killie's Scottish Cup hopes with a 5-0 drubbing.
Now Gerrard wants to see his side maintain that level when they return to league action at Hamilton on Sunday.
He said: "We have had some setbacks and some bumps in the road. I think the next challenge for us is can we find that level of consistency. My job will be to try and eradicate those setbacks moving forward because that will give us a better chance of being successful.
"We are not good enough yet, and we haven't had enough success together yet to get complacent and think we can just turn up against certain teams.
"I think that was the case against St Johnstone last week, so I think the players have learned a lot in the last four or five days. I certainly have, so hopefully we can improve from doing that."
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