STEVEN GERRARD reckons it would take treble Bordeaux’s bid for Alfredo Morelos to find a replacement for the striker this summer.

The Ligue 1 side saw an offer of £3.75million for Morelos rejected on the eve of Rangers’ Europa League clash with Maribor this week.

Gerrard labelled the bid ‘derisory’ and ‘disrespectful’ in the aftermath of the goalless draw that clinched a play-off berth for the Light Blues.

And the Ibrox boss insists it doesn’t make football or financial sense for Rangers to offload the Colombian at that price.

Gerrard said: “If we sell a good player then we’ll have to go in to the transfer market and pay more than these bids to replace him. So it doesn’t make sense to me to accept a bid at that level.

“To accept bit like that for Alfredo, I’m probably going to have to spend treble that amount for a replacement to score goals like him.

“He’s playing very well at the moment. I am sure he was aware of the bid before the game on Thursday but yet again he ran himself in to the ground and almost got us that vital away goal.

“He’s been professional since I walked through the door. We have a good relationship.

“I have made it quite clear how much I rate him and respect him, and want to work with him. I expect the same respect back.

“I believe it’s in the club’s interests to get him signed up and look after him.

“But I have always been honest and respectful with Alfredo and expect the same back. I think the way the fans treat him, love him on a daily and weekly basis, they deserve the same respect as well.”

Rangers had to fend off interest in captain James Tavernier earlier this month as West Bromwich Albion looked to secure a cut-price deal for the defender.

But Gerrard doesn’t want to cash in on any of his key men as he looks to build on an impressive start to the campaign at Ibrox.

He said: “From anyone and for any one of my better players.

“I want to keep them, I want to try and build something special here than can go on and be successful so I don’t want to lose any of my best players.

“I have never met a manager or heard a manager speak that wants to lose his best players. It is no surprise that there is interest. Last week it was James and this week it is Alfredo.

“But, for me, I have always been clear to the board that I want to keep my best players and for us to have any chance of competing, whether that be domestically or to do ourselves proud in Europe and get qualification, we have to keep our best players.

“The window is still open for a couple of weeks, I get that and I get that other teams need to try and strengthen as well. They sold a centre-forward.

“But for me as a player it wouldn’t fill me with confidence if a manager has just walked out the door this morning. So I don’t know where it is at.

“The only thing I didn’t welcome was the amount they tried to bid for one of my top players. I think, first and foremost, it is disrespectful to Alfredo because he is worth a helluva lot more than that, and I think it is disrespectful to Rangers because it is miles and miles and miles away from what we would let that player go for.

“We are not going to sit here and say ‘our players are not worth this or that’ because every player on the planet is worth an amount.”